In case you don't know me well, the night of August 28th 2012 will be a day of hell like no other in my brief history her on this Earth. As minimal Hurricane Isaac churned off Barataria Bay, we fought the rising waters for a full day. Finally, at roughly 9:30 that night, I packed the kids, dog, valuables, and dragged the wife out of our home that was already ankle deep. We slept at our Pastor's home in Gramercy. Well, let's just say the kids fell asleep from exhaustion. Penny and I held hands all night in complete shock.
At 5:30 am we woke our kids and left our Pastor's home early enough not to disturb their routine. It took more than two hours of trial and error to get back home. Then I loaded my beautiful bride in a flat boat and waded in water up to my chest to bring her to the home we had build with our own hands just ten years earlier. Some 12 plus inches of water in our home! We sludged through the house hoping to save something here or there. Then one of the tubs holding all of my wife's grandmother's things tumbled over. Needless to say, the tears rolled. We were smack dab in the middle of Hades and stuck there until the water receded three days later.
Then we did the only thing we know how to do, we put our hand to the plow and got after it. We couldn't sit and be pitiful, our boys would have been destroyed by such a selfish act. Then something miraculous happened. Out of the woodwork people showed up. Not days or months later. On the first day of entry into our house, people were there. No questions asked. No payment demanded. No debt to be accrued. No job to menial or dirty. Then tremendous outpouring of help from friends, family, and loved ones, not only speeded our road to recovery, it saved what little sanity we had left.
While there is no doubt that each of us were scarred by our flood, the kindness of others has been our saving grace. Our friends didn't judge us worthy of help. They didn't categorize us as victims. They didn't label us less than. They simply saw a need and filled it. And yes there were a few negatives of people wanting to take advantage of us, but those people are so minuscule in the light of those that helped.
I can safely say that my family is the best because they didn't abandon me in my storm. And yes, my family is more than blood relatives. My family includes my friends, my church members, my scouting buddies, and others that just don't have any other label. My family is made up of blood, sweat, and tears relatives.
The "Katrinas" of our life come and go, but those that stand with you in those days never leave your heart.
At 5:30 am we woke our kids and left our Pastor's home early enough not to disturb their routine. It took more than two hours of trial and error to get back home. Then I loaded my beautiful bride in a flat boat and waded in water up to my chest to bring her to the home we had build with our own hands just ten years earlier. Some 12 plus inches of water in our home! We sludged through the house hoping to save something here or there. Then one of the tubs holding all of my wife's grandmother's things tumbled over. Needless to say, the tears rolled. We were smack dab in the middle of Hades and stuck there until the water receded three days later.
Then we did the only thing we know how to do, we put our hand to the plow and got after it. We couldn't sit and be pitiful, our boys would have been destroyed by such a selfish act. Then something miraculous happened. Out of the woodwork people showed up. Not days or months later. On the first day of entry into our house, people were there. No questions asked. No payment demanded. No debt to be accrued. No job to menial or dirty. Then tremendous outpouring of help from friends, family, and loved ones, not only speeded our road to recovery, it saved what little sanity we had left.
While there is no doubt that each of us were scarred by our flood, the kindness of others has been our saving grace. Our friends didn't judge us worthy of help. They didn't categorize us as victims. They didn't label us less than. They simply saw a need and filled it. And yes there were a few negatives of people wanting to take advantage of us, but those people are so minuscule in the light of those that helped.
I can safely say that my family is the best because they didn't abandon me in my storm. And yes, my family is more than blood relatives. My family includes my friends, my church members, my scouting buddies, and others that just don't have any other label. My family is made up of blood, sweat, and tears relatives.
The "Katrinas" of our life come and go, but those that stand with you in those days never leave your heart.
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