When I #ImagineaDaywithoutWater, the image that comes to mind is one of a young girl carrying a yellow plastic container on their head… You can all see it, because we know it happens everyday.  All over the world there are people who don’t have access to clean water and the water they do have is miles away from their homes and contaminated. There are so many organizations that try to help these communities but until we really #ValueWater at home how can we understand these families suffering and offer real help.

As I wake up today, I have my coffee with water treated at my local municipality who has less than efficient systems.  I think… is this clean water? I know every time it rains our clean water is threatened with contamination of over flowing lift stations.  This is due to lack of funding for the projects and infrastructure needed to implement the efficient systems the staff knows they need to install.  This is a huge risk for public health and our country’s aging infrastructure is amplifying the need for investment.    So, I ask… how do we get more investment for these projects!  And then, if we placed more value on water and water systems at home would we then place more value on making sure every human had access to it?

As y’all know I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, so thankfully was not personally impacted by Hurricane Harvey; But, as Houston is one of my go-to-cities understandably I am emotionally affected. It’s not that I am constantly saddened by the images of the suffering or in awe of the amazing stories of people helping each other in Texas, and it’s not even that we were just 20mins from the tornado that spun off Harvey. It was because I have guilt for not being able to leave my commitments to go and help with the rescue effort. I am constantly thinking of what I should do to help and feel guilty each time I have a normal happy day.

I know so many people in Houston, and some of my best friends were in the areas most impacted by the storm; I just don’t know who to help first or what they need most.  I first went to donate to the Red Cross because they are the pros, then I sent messages to my friends who were affected to see how I could help (of course they are overwhelmed and, if they had tried, couldn’t tell me what was needed).  My children’s school was taking up donations of food, clothes, and other items that would help with the relief effort which I thought would be a great way to teach my children compassion and selflessness, so we donated… But still… I keep wondering what did we really do… Life still goes on… work still goes on… commitments and responsibilities don’t stop….and Texas has a long way to go to recover.   This to me is just heart breaking.

I know this doesn’t even come close to compare, but it reminds me when I first lost my job; it was very clear to me that other people’s life didn’t stop.  It is hard.  I am sure it is even harder when you don’t have a home like some of the people in Houston.

This week I received an email from TPS that said they would be putting together a relief effort for those people still without shelter, which made me proud to be associated with such a great group. This made me think…this must be the worst, people who have lost everything or maybe they never had anything to begin with… have no home. This gave me the direction I needed. TPS brought me to Houston the first time 10+ years ago, and I would like to help give back to the community I call my 3^rd home…

Read More to learn how Empowering Brands will be Working for Houston.

The quote “When you do what you Love, Everything else falls into place” has hung in my office for a number of years and I’ve often wonder… “what exactly do I love about what I am doing?”  I always tell people that “I love my job” but there are things about it that are tiring and also not so enjoyable, so why then do I claim to “love my career and what I do?” I always come back to the same conclusion… It’s the people. It’s meeting new people, and reconnecting with friends, and getting the chance to hear their stories and experiences… It is having the chance and ability to listen and observe and then help create opportunities.  This is what I love to do.

Yes, some of these opportunities benefit my company, which is always a bonus!  but my favorite is when it is not benefiting me directly.  It’s the times when I have the opportunity to influence others or help them understand the connections that I see so clearly.   I love to meet someone and instantly have the thought “you have got to meet _____! I know they could help solve your problem or benefit from knowing you!  Thankfully, I have a great memory (Praise God), and a lot of highly skilled connections that I can put them in touch with!

So if my job is merely connecting others – Yes…I must say… I LOVE THAT and would say… ‘that is my Gift from God!”

I’d like to tell you a story as an example of how I see things connecting…  Today, I saw my baby brother, Dr. Corey Neill, preach a sermon at his church. The pastor, a longtime family friend and the man that married Carter and I, was on a much needed sabbatical. He had heard Corey’s story before and thought he should be given the opportunity to share it with others. It is always great to see your brother suit up, but like most people who climb on the stage for the first time, Corey was nervous and out of his comfort zone.  I know this uncomfortable feeling well… and it can be painful.  So naturally, Corey calls his big brother Brody on stage to shares this experience 🙂, I think he was looking for some moral support. After all big brothers are invincible, don’t ya know.

But as Corey begins to tell his stories, that I have heard many times before, something happened.  God spoke to me through my baby brother – This was AWESOME! 

I had always been concerned about Corey (as big sisters do).  One thing I often think about is why he gave up his dream of Medicine.  I had heard the story about him witnessing someone die during his time as an EMT, which unfortunately turned him off from the program; This is how I remember it.  But today, I heard something different…  As he told the story and compared a lifeless body with a body filled with the Breath of Life aka God’s Breath, I saw the connection. I understood that my brother had to see death to understand life, and then have the passion and purpose to educate the world. He began to quote scriptures about the breath of life that we have heard so many times, how Jesus put his hands on his people and healed them.  The scripture he shared today said that he healed them and made them straight!

 This is neat because this is exactly what chiropractors do. They adjust you with their hands to make sure your body is in alignment.  Their hands help move things around to make sure you aren’t blocking a much needed nerve communication. He can better explain that, but I have experienced it and I highly recommend you receive an adjustment and see what you think… I was a non-believer, even after my first adjustment… Now… I take my whole family!

Having seen and read these scripture verses before, I was amazed at how we can see, or even more, how we can relate to Jesus by realizing the breath of life within us and how it can be passed to others through our hands… I have become a believer in the power of touch and words.  But the phrase “ Laying hands on” has always made me uncertain… What does that really mean?  I now have a whole new perspective and understand how praying while holding hands or lifting hands in praise, can be so much stronger when we recognize the Breath of Life. There is power in our words, in our acts, and in our hands! 

And he can use us all… even my baby brother, with one scared hand, can help work God’s miracles!

I believe in Connecting for Purpose… what is that purpose for you?  If you are struggling… read this article: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2015/01/19/the-great-power-of-connecting-passion-with-purpose/2/#7e537bd429a0

I’d love to hear your comments on this below…