God bless them all

Let me thank those of you who have emailed me and asked about my family in Mississippi. Corinth is in the northeast of the state and therefore is well inland from the devestatioin of Gulf Coast area. I just spoke with my nephew - school was cancelled for him today and last night they lost power for a while but luckily it's back on now. He reported to me that he's now able to see a bit of sunlight coming though.

God, that area needs that so much. That sunlight breaking through the clouds. Not just the real sunlight but that sunlight of the soul. That sunlight of spirit. That sunlight that gives you reason to hope again and to keep going on after such devestation.

My dear friend, The Barefoot Cajun, has posted on her blog a few emails from her brother, a reporter at the Times-Picayune, and they are chilling. He describes not only the devestation he's seen and the fear but the deep sadness of loss as well.

It must feel like a death of a loved one to lose your home. Not just your personal dwelling but the city or town where you live. Where your roots are deeply dug in. Where all seems familiar to you and you have that sense of belonging. To have it suddenly taken away must feel like a death. Then add to that the chaos, the worry, the sense of displacement. Where will you live? How can you earn a living when the place where you work is gone? How are you going to keep your family together and keep them fed and safe? How does anyone get past that grief and despair and worry?

And yet they do it. Not without struggle and not without stress and pain. Not without a lot of sleepless nights. Not without feeling like they're one step away from going off the ledge. Not everyone makes it but most do. Somehow people show how incredibly resiliant they can be and how determined they are to hang onto hope.

Life will be different for the victims of Katrina's wrath. The people of New Orleans and Biloxi and Gulfport and Mobile and the dozens of little towns scattered around will find that their lives will be different. Their towns and cities will be different. It won't have that same familiar look any longer but eventually all well loved places change over time and many times due to harsh events.

And eventually these places will bloom again because when the people are rooted deep, they can't help but grow.

God bless them all. And if you can please help those who are in dire need, give as generously as you can to America's Second Harvest or the American Red Cross. Thank you.