Julie and I went to college together.
When others saw lemons, Julie made lemonade.
It’s not that Julie had fewer challenges than the rest of us,
It’s that Julie wrote the book on turning challenges into opportunities.

These days, Julie and I don’t talk as often as we’d like. After all, between us we have two jobs, two husbands, five kids and one house to manage.

Before Ivan, we had two houses to manage. But now Julie’s house is floating somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.

I’ve talked to Julie often during the past week.
I can’t help her rebuild her house, but I can let her know I’m thinking of her.

Julie is sad about her “new” life, but as usual, she is making lemonade.
“After all…” she says, and begins her “I’m-thankful” list:
“Nobody in my family was killed or injured.
Phil and I still have jobs.
My parents can take care of the kids until we find a place to live.
We just moved in, and I hadn’t even started decorating.
And guess what? I found some of Grandmother’s china buried in muck in the front yard.”

Julie has a new perspective about her bills, her colleagues, her work responsibilities and her life. And she’s thankful for that, too.

I don’t want to depend on a natural disaster to remind me to be thankful. Got any good recipes for lemonade?