God Bless Texas!

Though I have no recollection, my mother says as a small boy I had an imaginary friend I called Harvey. Me and Ol’ Harv were evidently pretty good buddies, to the extent that I requested she say goodnight to him when she put me to bed. Been a long time, I sure hope that wasn’t my old pal that barreled through Texas last month.

Had Hurricane Harvey followed a traditional path – continuing inland after initial landfall – the overall outcome would have been very different. The Coastal Bend would not have been spared, obviously, but the enormous floods that inundated so many communities in the massive swath from Bay City through Greater Houston and eastward to Beaumont and Orange would never have happened.

But it did. We must now place our trust in the Almighty and aid our fellow man to the best of our ability during recovery.

I pray God’s richest blessings for the brave first responders and thousands of volunteers who sprang to action saving lives and property. The images on social media and ‘round-the-clock newscasts told the story far better than anything I can say here. So many answered the call and we will be forever in your debt.

As you peruse the pages of this magazine you will quickly discern that some of the content was created before the storm. Some pieces were written in the aftermath. Rather than request rewrites of the earlier submissions, we decided to proceed as though nothing happened – trusting our readers would understand.

The TSFMag writing team and staff made it through the storm in remarkable shape with only minor wind and water damage. Even those that reside nearest Harvey’s landfall were incredibly lucky.

Of all our crew, Dickie Colburn was dealt the cruelest blow. Speaking with Dickie almost two weeks after the storm, I learned that his home had been badly flooded and they were in the throes of pulling carpet and sheetrock, still without power. Typical of Dickie, though, he sounded cheerful and his spirits were bright. So, if you follow his column regularly – please know that the Colburns are well and busy in storm recovery – but you will have to wait until November for a Sabine Scene fishing article.

Tough times and dangerous situations are said to have a way of bringing out the best in people, and I want everybody to know how proud I am to live in Texas. We see the way folks in other parts of this country and the world react to natural disasters and other calamitous events, and there is absolutely no comparison. Louisiana and the Cajun Navy being one of the few and bravest exceptions.

My greatest praise and respect are extended to all my fellow citizens. Texas is an attitude as much as a place to live, work and raise families. Texas will rise bigger and better. We are Texas Strong!

God Bless!