It’s easier to give than to receive

I left the Seguin Holiday Inn Monday morning, September 29th, at 6:00 to go meet the contractor at my loft in Galveston for the first time, dropping off my three 4-legged kids and a trunk-load of donations in Houston for safe-keeping on my way.

Keller Williams Galveston clothing distribution at S.S. Minnow

That afternoon, still Monday, I got a call from our fabulous Peggy Tuthill, the original founder of the Keller Williams Memorial office and the first ever KW agent in Houston – who now makes her home in Galveston – saying that 1,500 pounds of clothes donated by the Keller Williams International staff in Austin were on their way to Galveston for distribution to the community. Many local charitable organizations aren’t accepting clothing (too high maintenance, I guess), so our mission would be to get the items to people who needed them.

A quick eblast, an afternoon with phones glued to ears, and we had ourselves an event. At the site of the Wreck of the S.S. Minnow (anybody remember the Edmond Fitzgerald? How in the world did the Minnow stand a chance? But I digress…) – about 30 Keller Williams agents from Galveston and Houston, plus another 30 or so agents and neighbors joined us for several hours of truly joyous reunion, sharing, giving, and lots and lots of hugs!

Here are Liz Gentry’s pictures of the event.

Nearly a month ago. That was such an easy day. We had stuff. Other people needed stuff. We put it out. They came and got it. What I didn’t get then that I get now is that it probably wasn’t so easy for them. What I get now is that it’s really hard to receive.

People keep asking what we need. It’s the hardest question I can think of. Because even if I can put my finger on something specific that I need, I find it next to impossible to ask. Or answer. I guess I just keep hoping people will know by osmosis and I’ll never have to actually admit I need anything.

When in doubt, a really big, meaningful hug is a good first step.

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Alice Melott, Galveston real estate, Keller Williams Galveston, SS Minnow

This entry was posted on October 27, 2008, 6:32 pm and is filed under The Storm. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

#1 by Amy Ponomarev on October 28, 2008 - 1:14 am

Thank you for your lovely thoughts. The same thing happens to me (with having difficulty receiving, but not giving).
Receiving a gift puts me in a a place that’s still and vulnerable.

Galveston After Ike