Five years ago we were...
Scared, nervous, hopeful, saying prayers, bracing ourselves, thankful that
Al drove from Pensacola and got Grandma out of there before she hit.
By this time we were in the living room watching in horror.
Al drove from Pensacola and got Grandma out of there before she hit.
By this time we were in the living room watching in horror.
She wasn't supposed to be this bad and then the levee broke.
Nothing could have prepared us for what came.
We sat up all night and for days and days after just staring as we watched what we knew
would change our lives and our families lives forever.
We knew we had lost something more than the homes and things.
would change our lives and our families lives forever.
We knew we had lost something more than the homes and things.
We would never be able to rebuild the generation Katrina took from us. They died of broken hearts.
I am convinced of that.
I have written about it before here.
Today I say this. Home is a place that no matter how many miles and time that passes. Your family welcomes you back and you just feel right. NOLA will always be worth fighting for. I am proud to call it home, because it is my heart. Sometimes when I look at Jackson I ache. I wanted to Grandma to know him. She loved B. She would have loved our boy too. Oh, we visit her old home.
We touch the palm tree that sits in the front yard and we remember.
We remember what it was like to go home and be within a 5 mile radius of the family.
It isn't the same but, I am thankful I have a family who still carries that spirit we felt
when things were the way they were before her.
There is nothing like Uncle Johnny singing the second line.
We touch the palm tree that sits in the front yard and we remember.
It isn't the same but, I am thankful I have a family who still carries that spirit we felt
when things were the way they were before her.
There is nothing like Uncle Johnny singing the second line.
He does it at every happy event. I wish I knew how to upload the cassette
tape to my blog so you could hear his voice singing it.
It is magic.
It is good for our souls.
This is for what we lost and what we are thankful we still have.
I have the best family in the world. If you met them you would agree.
I have the best family in the world. If you met them you would agree.
This will have to do for now. It just feels right.
We shall never forget because remembering what was is still so beautiful.
xoxo ra
6 comments:
ever since we talked about "grandma's" the other day... I can't get this out of my heart. i ache for your family on this anniversary. movies.
What a great reflection. Have a great week.
I sit here with tears remembering again what i will never forget. I will always be thankful for the memories we shared and the love we carry for each other. Your dad's family continues to be my biggest gift ever besides my babies, they also take my breath away with awe.
Heartfelt love to those who continue to heal but keep those Italians alive with such rich memories.
man, talk about tugging the heart strings...i can't imagine what you and your family went through...this was a lovely tribute. my heart goes out to NOLA and all of those who are still piecing their lives back together.
Heart wrenching. I remember watching the footage of Katrina and crying as the stories were told. Though compassion was not hard to have, I had no sort of a grasp of the devastation until we took a group to de-muck houses almost a year later. A year later, and many parts of the city still had no electricity. And though I will never know the heartache that those that were from NOLA have had, I did get a glimpse of the enormity of the situation.
They say that losing a home is like losing a family member that you've had with you your whole life. My heart is with you.
Beautiful reflection. And now I'm crying at my desk!
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