[Hurricane Katrina 10th Anniversary ] Order ‘My Adventure to Safety’ (#Katrina10 Anniver
In honor of the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, BE Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief/AuthorJason “J.Write” Dinsmore is re-releasing his inspirational children’s book entitled “My Adventure to Safety” (MATS). MATS doubles as both a historical & realistic fiction book that chronicles the courageous tale of how a schoolgirl and her family, were forced to drop everything instantly & evacuate New Orleans after learning that a devastating category 5 hurricane was just about to strike. No one ever imagined that they’d still BE feeling the wrath of Katrina 10 years later…
Today (8/31/15) is the final day of Hurricane Katrina’s 10th Anniversary, I can’t help but to reflect on the some of the students & families that I met directly after Katrina calmed. Many of them had just safely arrived from their adventure & still hadn’t had time to process how their lives were just instantly changed forever. I watched them often times finesse up a slight grin & find a way out of no way just to create some sense of normalcy for their families, regardless of the roaring uncontrollable inner pain that their eyes sometimes unknowingly revealed. I saw 2nd & 3rd grade students wear some of the strongest smiles, in hopes that them showcasing an over abundance of happiness would encourage those closest to them, never wanting to let anyone know that they were aware of & sometimes felt the pain, loss, & new uncertainty that they were now having to dig deeper to smile through. I was so inspired by way they were making instant choices to embrace their new lives. I decided to write MATS to reach that particular group of children, the one’s that were dedicated to their unspoken role of exchanging their justifiable right to BE confused, lonely, and even scared with those tremendously convincing smiles. Their display of bravery was refreshing & appreciated. I’m not sure if they recognized smiling during that period in 2005 was actually a sacrifice they were making, one that was so empowering that it BEcame an honor to witness. Them looking at the difficult transition as an adventure to safety truly revealed one of my life’s purposes…
My Adventure to Safety was written to show those young smiley children that their struggle and pain didn’t just get pushed to the side, some adults didn’t know how to address the kids affected, but I knew I couldn’t just sit there and watch those innocent smiles start to dim. MATS was initially written in hopes to get through to one particular student whose daily smile seemed to BE getting a little more difficult to maintain, as reality sank in that her adventure to safety wasn’t at all temporary & she may never get her old life back. Today, as #Katrina10 concludes, I’m so appreciative thatMATS has reached the hands & hearts of hundreds of families & has BEen a used source to help spark much needed dialogue (while giving those smiles a chance to recharge) to help children continue to cope with Katrina’s long standing changes. The student (that inspired the book) with the heavy eyes never did trade in her smile… it was still effortlessly plastered on her face over the#KATRINA10 weekend, as I learned that she still reads MATS, even 10 years after Katrina, especially on days that she temporarily misplaces her smile…it mysteriously helps her instantly find her smile (fully charged) every time.
ORDER YOUR COPY HERE: My Adventure to Safety
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Twitter /Instagram: @BEingJWrite | @BEmagazine
