Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, the City of New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast were forever changed. Hurricane Katrina came upon land the lives of those who called these places home. I have never lived in New Orleans but several of my very best friends grew up there and shared their love for the culturally energized city with me during our days at LSU.

As I look back on that terrible time in the lives of so many of those that I loved, I remember watching closely as my dear friend Meg's world was turned upside down. Her home was destroyed, her sisters winter wedding was postponed because her church had flooded, her family whom had always lived in the same neighborhood in New Orleans were relocating to new cities. Inspite all of those horrible things, there was a strong bond of strength from Meg and her family. They WOULD get through it together, they would get through it with prayer, and in the words of John Lennon, "they would get by with a little help from their friends." Watching them reminded me of the importance families and friends, and taught me how little important material possessions really were.

Four years later, the city is still rebuilding, but memories of Katrina will always remain. It was a storm that forever changed a way of life, but the people of the Gulf Coast have been resilient. As I reflect upon Katrina, it makes me so thankful for my own family and friends and proud, yet again, for the strength, courage, laughter, and grace my friends from New Orleans showed during those darkest days.