July 31 – “Yellow hat”

I spent yesterday morning at Seaside sitting in on some classes taught by the Texas Baptist Disaster Relief Team.  They call it yellow cap training, because after you complete it, you are eligible to wear a yellow cap.  Interesting motivation, huh?  The chance to be just like Curious George’s proverbial best friend.  Actually, the yellow cap is a symbol that you have been through the preparation to participate in serving people in areas that have been hit by a disaster like a hurricane or fire.  I figured it might come in handy living here in Galveston.  Might get me home quicker if we have another storm like Hurricane Ike.  I can put on my yellow hat and come in with the aid workers. 

This was the first phase of the training.  It was more of an introduction to the group than anything else.  They went through the history of the organization.  Interestingly enough, they trace their history to the 1900 Storm in Galveston.  A guy named R.C. Buckner came to the island and rescued 100 orphans and 26 crippled children.  Now the group concentrates more on the process of providing aid to victims in getting back into their homes.  The rest of the training comes later.  I have to decide on some kind of specialty training.  That means choosing from areas like chainsaw or food distribution or water purification.  I’ll have to find somewhere to get that training.  Then I have to actually go somewhere and do the stuff.  As I understand it, that doesn’t mean I have to seek out a disaster somewhere.  For example, there is a group at Seaside now who invited us all Sunday to eat with them.  They are practicing food distribution.  Honestly I was most interested in the water purification.  That’s one I hadn’t heard of before, and it sure would be a helpful thing after a hurricane.  Think I’ll look into that one. 

We also had another neighborhood association meeting last night.  This time our city council representative was back, but she brought along some guests of her own.  The chief of police was there to answer questions about safety and tell us how to wade through some of the red tape involved in reporting suspicious activity.  She also invited the assistant city manager.  Come to find out, he grew up in our neighborhood.  And his parents still live here.  So do his in-laws.  He jokingly said the best way to get his attention is to call his mother-in-law.  If she wants something done, he jumps to it.  Otherwise, he said, she would “get on her broom and take care of it herself.”  Frightening image for him, I’m sure.  Our next meeting will be one where we invite the whole neighborhood to gather and discuss how to pull off a huge neighbor’s night out in October.  That’s when Texas does the National Night Out, since it gets so hot here.  We’ll talk about some safety stuff, too.  I’m excited about the whole developing relationships thing.  I’d like to have the same kind of neighborhood we did while I was growing up.  My Mom and Dad worked hard to get it that way.  Guess it’s our turn.

Psalms 18:32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Father, thank you for the legacy Mom and Dad left me.  Help me to create a nice one for my kids and the kids of the neighborhood as well.  Amen.