Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Remembering a hurricane by waiting for a hurricane

As I sit in my living room on this August 28th evening I would normally be reflecting on my Hurricane Katrina memories.  On this very night 7 years ago I was settling my family and my mom and mother-in-law into a hotel room in Cullman Alabama.  By early the next morning we were watching the devastation of New Orleans on a hotel TV and wondering what to do.  Turns out, we stayed on the road for 5 more days before coming home to many weeks of no electricity, no food and uncertain futures.  Reports from New Orleans, 50 miles to the south, were completely devastating.  But I remember most that we got through it, we grew closer and New Orleans came back strong.

Past anniversaries have been full of big events and others have been quiet.  This one is challenging.  As I write I am listening to some strong gusty winds, rain that comes and goes and listening to the reports of what Hurricane Isaac is doing in south Louisiana, in many of the same communities that took the brunt of Katrina.  It is so sad that this is happening again but make no mistake; Isaac is no Katrina.  Yet any reliving Katrina in this way, so real and so raw, is a challenge for all of us.

I'm soon to go off to bed and all the reports tell me that I will awake to even more violent weather.  So far so good for us north of the lake, but many more hours await.  Memories of Katrina will have to wait until we get through Isaac.

Pray for us, the people of southeast Louisiana.

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