As I sit here this morning watching coverage of Hurricanes Irma and Jose, images of 9/11, and my son playing in the foreground, the fact that I am extremely lucky does not escape me. We are safe, dry, warm and happy here in Hays, Kansas. I have food to feed my pets and family. We have cars to get us where we need to go, and this warm cup of coffee makes for a great start to my day. Granted, this baby in my belly sure is making my stomach growl right now, but I plan to get up and take care of that in a few minutes.

My heart breaks for the people in Florida that are waking up to devastation. I have to remind myself that the people who dealt with Harvey two weeks ago continue to wake up and deal with it. These people will be stronger because of their resilience. While I know they don’t have much of a choice, I applaude them for pushing through what has to be one of the hardest times of their lives.

I have many friends in Florida, some that I know well, and some that don’t even know that they are friends of mine. That sounds weird. Let me clarify. We are social media friends. I enjoy seeing posts of their kids, adventures and business successes. We might not know each other personally, but I am rooting for them and thinking about them during this very hard time.

9/11 was one of the most defining days of my life, and not only because of the tragedy that struck that day. The sense of comradery that we felt as Americans was so comforting. After 16 years, I am still reminded of it every time I see the images of that day, and when tragedy strikes again, as with Harvey and Irma, I love seeing people in our country go out of their way to help their neighbors.

While I wish I could take off and go help clean up in these areas that are hardest hit, I know that in my current state, it is best for me to manage my family, love my little boy and baby-yet-to-be-born, and make sure that I teach them about the generosity of mankind in times of need. Whether it is donating funds, offering a helping hand, taking in displaced families, or just offering up your good thoughts and prayers, I hope that we can all put aside our differences over the next few weeks to give our best to those Americans that need it right now.