'Houston Strong' Together: An open letter to the Houston Astros from your fans You helped lift us up after Harvey. Now it's our turn to lift you up.

In their first home baseball game after Hurricane Harvey left more than 75 dead across Texas and destroyed thousands of homes, the Houston Astros debuted a "Houston Strong" uniform patch which they have continued to wear through the remainder of the 2017 season. REMINDER: This is what 'Houston Strong' really looks like ... less In their first home baseball game after Hurricane Harvey left more than 75 dead across Texas and destroyed thousands of homes, the Houston Astros debuted a "Houston Strong" uniform patch which they have ... more Photo: Karen Warren , Houston Chronicle Photo: Karen Warren , Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close 'Houston Strong' Together: An open letter to the Houston Astros from your fans 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

In desperate times, we take strength from anywhere we can find it.

So perhaps more than we should have, many in Houston found a small bit of strength when our Astros – a group of men who, in many cases, have few other ties to our city than an apartment to keep their belongings – returned home for the first time after Hurricane Harvey with the words "Houston Strong" on their chests.

From that day until this day, you've worn those words over your hearts like a badge.

But for those in Houston still rebuilding our lives one moment and one piece of drywall at a time, "Houston Strong" isn't just a slogan or a rallying cry.

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"Houston Strong" is our burden.

Houston is strong not because it comes easy, but because it is who we have to be.

True strength is often revealed in our worst and weakest moments. Harvey showed us that about our Houston.

When the floods rose above our doorsteps, the strong gathered those who mattered to them and waded out into the water - not because they knew what was ahead, but because they knew it was the only direction forward.

When a needful hand reached out, the strong grabbed hold and carried it, not because they knew they could save it, but because the strong understood that lifting each other up was the only way to keep us all from being pulled down.

And when the strong returned home to see all they had built had been destroyed, the strong saw beyond what was lost to what could be rewon.

Now is your time to be Houston Strong, Astros – not because it will come easy, but because it is who you are because that is who you have to be.

Wade forward into the waters.

You'll find your city reaching out to lift you up.

You'll find that all you have lost can also be rewon.

Astros in seven.

- Your fans.

Houston Chronicle senior producer for audience John Boyd unapologetically bleeds orange at @JohnnyNewsroom on Twitter.