by David Abdel
Texas faced an unprecedented challenge this week. The snowstorm that bore down on our beloved state left many without heat, power and water. Still today, cities and towns across the state are struggling to recover. Impressively, the resilience of Texans was yet again demonstrated. Hurricanes, tornados, a pandemic and now a winter storm; Texas always forges onward. What I believe to be most important about this, and what I believe needs to be recognized, is how we do it.
The crisis at hand has once more brought out the best in us. The news reports often detailed the difficult conditions that we had to endure, highlighting the visually stimulating broken pipes, empty shelves and serviceless gas pumps. For every one of those stories though, I’ve seen a handful of instances where neighbors have come together to support one another. We have seen neighbors offer space in their homes, or provisions from their cabinet to one another. Large scale food and water distributions were conducted by charitable organizations and other entities. Electricians, plumbers, first responders and other utility personnel worked beyond overtime hours to service people as quickly and as best as possible. As has happened before, and undoubtedly will again, Texans worked to help Texans. At the surface, that is admirable and could be the takeaway, but there is something deeper to appreciate.
