Many of you know that I live just outside of New Orleans and was impacted last year by Hurricane Katrina. I was fortunate in that I had a place to evacuate to, although I wasn’t expecting a three month stay away from my home. But I did have a home to return to after those three months. There was some damage, but my home still stood. On this one year anniversay date of Katrina, I feel the need to offer remembrance to my friends, family, neighbors and fellow citizens who were impacted by the devasation of Katrina and to those who were not as fortunate as myself. As those in the entire region continue to struggle with rebuilding and survival, may you find strength, courage, hope and peace as you move through to each day.
To the over 1800 people who lost their lives to Hurricane Katrina may you rest in peace and may your family and friends find solace and comfort. To those who continue to have friends and family missing may you find closure. To families who remain separated may you be reunited soon. To all those who have lost their homes (not just a house but their homes) may you find home again soon. To all those continue to wait for temporary housing so you can begin to rebuild your home and life may you be granted patience and hope. To all those who have lost a way of life which they love with every fiber of their being may you find wisdom, strength and perseverance to shape your future. Centuries of culture, history and a way of life can not be washed away by one storm. To all those who are struggling with meeting daily financial responsibilites may you find prosperity and security once again soon. To all in the region who were impacted by Katrina (and all were impacted) may we have a deaf ear to those who continue to say, imply and act in ways which say we are not worthy of having our community rebuilt. We are worthy and our losses are our nation’s losses. To all those impacted by Katrina may we find normalcy soon in our very basic daily activities and routines. May we rise above the seemingly idiocy of politics and bureaucracy. May we experience the day when almost all aspects of our lives are not tied to Katrina in some way. May we move from the darkness of the storm to the light of living. Come hell or high water (pun intended) we will move towards recapturing those things in our pre-Katrina lives which we held so near and dear
