I have had friends and family reaching out to me in the last few days. To see if I am OKAY, to see if I am worried about a loved one in Puerto Rico, to see if there is anything they can do for me.
No, most of the family I am connected to is here. In the states. In my “hometown”. I feel for the people there on a human level. But no, most of my family is here.
Until the photos started streaming in and the videos started auto-playing in my feed. Until I saw photos of the town I was born in, the places my parents were raised, until I saw the truth in the devastation. Until then, I could say “I am okay.”
The realization has hit me – places where I had memories of and places where my parent’s feet had touched the ground and places where I had giggled with joy as a child are no longer. Places where I could go and feel closer to my parent’s are wrecked and ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
It is selfish as I have not lost a physical thing or a physical being as a result of the hurricane. I have simply lost a memory that had real world connections. But memories are all I have of my parents and of their time on this earth. So I will wallow a minute in my selfishness but only a minute because we are needed now.
Please consider the many people who have lost concrete items like their homes, their livelihoods and potentially loved ones. Make a donation through your desired charity or consider donating to these organizations:
http://unidosporpuertorico.com/
https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/maria-irma-puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund
https://www.gofundme.com/puertoricohurricanerelief
Flaca, Flinche Y Rubia 