We are Still Cleaning Up

We are now almost 3 weeks out from Hurricane Ian and the cleanup continues.

Many of us feel so very fortunate that worse things did not happen to us. In a word, that feeling could be called gratitude. Amid the losses, we may feel gratitude for the abundance that remains. Even though we may feel less abundant than before the storm, we may still find the gifts of gratitude for what remains.

As I look around Venice, I see the cleanup moving forward rapidly. There is still so much to do. Yet, I feel so very lucky and stronger to have survived this ravaging storm. Since the towns bordering us, Englewood and Northport were hit a lot harder, they need more help.

In that spirit, I did some research to find some worthy fundraising efforts that will directly benefit those communities. In my search, I discovered that most organizations do not want to take donations of items because it just makes their jobs harder. They would rather have the funds (i.e. money) so that they can direct it to their clients' needs rather than spending their time sorting through "stuff." If you are interested in making a monetary donation to the relief efforts, I found two organizations that will directly benefit south Sarasota County and further south.

The first charity is Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief Fund sponsored by Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The second is Suncoast Disaster Recovery, run by Community Foundation of Sarasota County. According to Charity Navigator, they both appear to use donations wisely.

Please join me tonight for a deeply restorative yoga nidra. Give yourself this gift for surviving hard times. You deserve it!