by Kim
"Hunter, the Great Dane"
"If life gives you lemons, don't settle for simply
making lemonade - make a glorious scene at a lemonade stand."
- Elizabeth Gilbert
In September of 2008, just 5 weeks after we moved to the Gulf Coast, hurricane Ike ravaged through our communities leaving devastation in its path, with the eye of the storm going straight over us.
Fast forward to a year later and nearly half of Galveston Island's trees (almost 40,000), would be declared dead because of the saltwater from the storm surge. And ironically, many of these trees were planted after the great storm of 1900. The majesty of these great oaks nearly a century old, that had provided a beautiful canopy of shade to the Victorian homes of the Historic District . . . just gone. But if there is one thing I know about the people and the community of Galveston Island, is that they are resilient by nature and when handed a bowl of lemons, they know how to make the best lemonade. They have, after all, had a lot of practice!
In an effort to pay tribute to the service of these fallen warriors, a member of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy came up with a very creative idea. She petitioned City Hall for permission to turn a dead tree in front of her house (not on her right of way) into a sculpture. And this was the beginning of a grassroots project that has now become one of the most popular tourists attractions on the Island.
I love how they used art as a way of healing. To transform a disaster into a thing of beauty. To find a glimpse of the silver lining in a tragedy. Sometimes it's not until well after the storm has passed (pun intended) that we can begin to contemplate just what to do with those lemons.
In Galveston, not only do they know how to make lemonade, but they know how to make a glorious scene by carving their lemons.
In an effort to pay tribute to the service of these fallen warriors, a member of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy came up with a very creative idea. She petitioned City Hall for permission to turn a dead tree in front of her house (not on her right of way) into a sculpture. And this was the beginning of a grassroots project that has now become one of the most popular tourists attractions on the Island.
I love how they used art as a way of healing. To transform a disaster into a thing of beauty. To find a glimpse of the silver lining in a tragedy. Sometimes it's not until well after the storm has passed (pun intended) that we can begin to contemplate just what to do with those lemons.
In Galveston, not only do they know how to make lemonade, but they know how to make a glorious scene by carving their lemons.
1 comments:
That is really cool! Amazing how one creative idea can start lots of others.
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