In the height of hurricane season, it seems proper to feel a bit humbled by natural forces. Forces that in spite of our best technologies we are unable to control or even marginally predict. While the damage in comparison to Katrina was minimal, the storm still traveled across ten states and killed over 150 people in the United States and in the Caribbean.
This is all very unfortunate, but was it all bad? Students of all ages were freed from the bounds of school to marvel at amazing weather patterns and to *gasp* play without videogames, movies, and IPods. Maybe they played in puddles or in the breeze. Later, perhaps due to the dark and exhaustion of real outdoor play, they actually went to bed on time! My brother-in-law at Texas A&M and my brother at Westlake High School both experienced cancellations. At Westlake High School, students were released to make room for evacuees from Galveston and Houston who stayed for days in their gymnasiums and auditoriums. What better way to appreciate one’s own home and family then through community service? On a more personal level, I got three days off of work. I got to have purely candle-lit dinners with my husband, and I opened my windows!
