They always say that the harder times are what brings people together, but my college town came together like no other during this difficult time. Hurricane Harvey not only affected Houston but all of Texas, ESPECIALLY college towns.

Why?

Because so many of us are from Houston. We travel 10 hours away to go to college and STILL manage to stay in Texas, which is absolutely crazy. From 600 miles away, Harvey hit us hard in the feels, and my little college town felt compelled to do something.

But we didn't want to just donate some money, move on with our lives, and just forget what happened in a city that seemed so far away. We wanted to create a lasting impact, and the business that did that was none other than a little tattoo shop in downtown Lubbock.

For eight days, this tattoo shop gave Texas shaped tattoos in exchange for a donation to the Hurricane Harvey relief. In those eight days, the shop managed to raise over $8,000 towards restoring Houston.

Not only does a significant amount of money go to Houston, but a community is now united in the aspect that 400 of us have the same tattoo. This tattoo will forever be a reminder that Harvey did a lot of damage directly and emotionally, but it also did a lot of good.

I'm not saying that getting a tattoo will solve all the world's problems. The point I want to make is that you should never forget the trials you go through. Treasure those hard times and the memories you have of them.

Don't try to just move on and forget, because I guarantee that there was some sort of brightness in the dark. You grew from those obstacles and will be glad you did.

I love the idea of the Texas tattoo because for the rest of my life, I will never forget what my friends and family went through, what my hometown went through, and what my state went through.