Winter Clothing Drive for hurricane survivors

Needs: Coats, jackets, sweaters, hats, caps, gloves, mittens, long-sleeved shirts, sweatpants/shirts, unused socks, blankets and quilts.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Needs: All non-perishable food items are welcome, but particularly items that constitute a traditional Thanksgiving meal: boxed stuffing, boxed instant potatoes, canned yams, canned green beans, canned cranberry sauce, etc.

Christmas Drive

Needs: Toys and gift items for children ages 16 and under. ALL items must be in GOOD CONDITION, PREFERABLEY NEW. If donating used items, please make sure items are clean, have all parts and are in good working order. Please try to include batteries, if needed.

ALL ITEMS COLLECTED FOR THESE THREE DRIVES WILL BE DONATED TO HURRICANE SURVIVORS IN ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI AND NEW ORLEANS. SCHEDULED DEPARTURE DATE FOR DELIVERY IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18.

If shipping is more feasible please ship via UPS or United States Postal Service to:

Storage USA/Extra Storage Space
Penwomanship
735 Hambrick Road, Unit B78
Stone Mountain, GA 30083


What WE need to make this happen:

Drop-off points in the Atlanta area (4 or 5 central locations)
Volunteers to assist in picking up from drop-off points as well as in sorting and prepping items for delivery
Boxes, packing material, tape, pallets
Trucks and truck drivers to actually deliver items
Gas cards for trucks
Any other items or assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Please call Penny White at 404-298-8621 or e-mail at penny@penwomanship.com. www.penwomanship.com

Katrina's Legacy
Penny White

Teach us a lesson from all this:
It seems we had forgotten
the basic rule of human compassion;
It is sad to say
this is what it takes -
the very power of nature
and devastation -
to send a message to our nation
that nothing is as beautiful
as unconditional love:
nothing as sweet and gentle
as the human touch.

Send us blessings,
as we bury the dead
and lift up the living;
our souls overflow with giving
until our hearts burst
from the sheer joy of survival;
until we finally learn the lesson
that money lost is nothing,
holding the hand of a loved one is everything -
and just what 'everything' truly means.

Give us love,
to lift the heavy burdens of sorrow
from our hearts;
to ease the pain and grief of our losses
so that our spirits may once again soar
above the wreckage of despair.

Show us hope,
with the rising of the sun,
its guiding light illuminating
the path we each must follow
to reunite with those gone before us.

Cradle us in your arms
and carry us through
these troubled times;
dry the tears of the children,
comfort their mothers
and guide their fathers,
so their survival is testimony
to the invincible human spirit.

Allow the compassion we now have
to flourish -
nourished and nurtured by Your guidance.
So that when the pain is all behind us
and part of our history,
our compassion will follow us,
the love in our hearts remain with us;
may we carry forward the spirit
of hope, kindness, generosity
in our daily lives.

May we never again forget
that life is short
love is sweet
friendship is golden
and Spirit is good.

We pray, may this be
Katrina's legacy.

Copyright 2005
Penny White
www.penwomanship.com


God's Shadow
Penny White

I thought I saw God's shadow
looking over Mississipi,
reflected in the waters of New Orleans,
cast over Alabama and Biloxi;
Upon closer observation
'twas only a mirage
created by my own imagination.

I thought I saw God's teardrops
fall upon the sands of Iraq;
teardrops filled with sorrow
leaving puddles in their wake:
Upon looking with more care,
'twas only the blood of soliders
and the innocent lying there.

I thought I heard God's voice
booming before the coming storms,
warning those who would heed
to seek shelter that was warm.
When I listened more closely
'twas only the wind of the pre-storm calm.

I thought I felt God's caress
brush gently against my cheek,
on its way to give aid and comfort
to those in need and the meek;
'twas only the petals of a rose
flowing softly upon the breeze.

I thought I saw God's shadow
following me one day,
and I turned to face that shadow
though I knew not what to say:
so many questions I longed to ask,
so many answers I yearned to know:
Yet the only question that I could utter
was, "God, were all those really You?"

I realized that those eyes of God
had seen more devastation
than my feeble mind could ever grasp;
those eyes had witnessed more pain
and suffering passed down through centuries
than my eyes would ever see.

And, once again, I saw the teardrops,
felt the caress and heard the voice;
and as the shadow began to fade,
the voice was lifted on the wind:
"Yes, my child. I was just checking in."

Copyright 2005 Penny White
www.penwomanship.com