Katrina's Anniversary...A Short Personal Reflection

On this date two years ago, I was moving back and forth between the television and computer watching waiting for any new scrap of information about the huge and powerful hurricane that would be making landfall somewhere on central Gulf Coast of the United States. Neither the television nor the computer were mine. My wife, mother-in-law and I had evacuated the previous day. We were graciously invited into the home of some very understanding people who, through the following days and weeks, went far beyond what anyone could expect, even from those, like them, who so often reach out to others in need.

Today, as much as I can, on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I hope to focus my thoughts and prayers of thanksgiving on the many people, some total strangers who will forever remain nameless to me, who helped us through the difficult days before and after, August 29, 2005.

Though the ill effects of what happened that day are still evident all around us and within us, my wife and I were recipients and witnesses to many occurrences that cannot be seen as anything short of miraculous. Over the past two years we have have listened to scores of our family, friends, and neighbors echo similar events happening throughout those otherwise dark days. While we still each recount our personal dramas of “battening down the hatches” before heading further inland, the ordeals and headaches of the evacuation journey, the lost days of watching, waiting, wondering, the wait to come home to see if there was still a home at all...........there are so many blessings, kind acts, and miracles that each of us can recount as well.

The most wondrous blessings of my life occurred during those days of two years ago. More than anything else, what moved me the most was watching the transformation of the hearts of people. While the media had its lenses focused on those who were taking advantage of others or their absence from their homes and businesses, I stand as a witness to say that, there were many more unwitnessed acts of kindness and reaching out to others that occurred during this period two years ago.

Prior to those days I believed we each had within us a potential for good and for evil. Most of us live out our lives coming nowhere near acting out either side of that potential to its fullest extent. However, when pushed to the limit it seems our actions move closer to one of the two possible ends of that spectrum.

Two years ago, there were many moments when I stopped what I was doing in order to simply observe. I stood and beheld instances of one person's good-will toward another, the likes of which I had only seen before in particular acts by those who serve in our country's military, police and fire departments, and others who serve the public good, as well as those instances of heroism that happen to make the news....nor have I seen the likes of the same since. I observed and was on the receiving end of the everyday man's acts of love toward his fellow men.

Just as I was so moved by its arrival, I was keenly aware of the period of time when those occurrences begin to wane. It saddened me to see us return to what we had been. We returned to passing each other on the sidewalk without so much as a nod. I was not want nor was I prepared to let it go. Its loss has made the past two years all the more difficult.

Nonetheless, on August 29^th, 2007 I choose to remember the acts that confirmed the potential goodness in each of us. I was there and it touched me. Seeing fade away was and is painful. Yet, most of all, I was blessed by the confirmation of its presence.

Thanks for reading,

Robb