In just over a week - the face of the North American Gulf Coast region has changed - forever. Not that change is necessarily bad - but in this case - it was devastating to so many. And 8 days later - the devastation continues. So many people are homeless. So many areas are destroyed, both physically and economically. There is lawlessness in the land and very little that most of us can do about it.
And the changes continue to roll in...
Read the paper and watch the news. See and hear the personal stories of heartache, courage, despair and heroism that issue forth from those in the midst of the turmoil in New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport and their surrounding areas. Pan across the United States - particularly the neighboring states - as storm refugees are helped, and sometimes forced, to relocate to "unknown lands". I met some of these people in person this weekend. People who have nothing to return home for, because there is no home. People who have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. They now have to rely on the charity of others. I sometimes wonder if we have that much charity to give. In my heart I want to believe we do - but just like the rumblings of the West Germans when "The Wall" came down in Berlin... I'm hearing murmers of discontent at having to accomodate the refugees.
Change has come to Dallas, Texas, and to Houston, Baton Rouge and many other cities, as a result of Hurricane Katrina. And as a general rule - people don't like change.
I've wondered over the weekend about how Dallas Mayor, Laura Miller must be feeling right now. In the past she has proposed changes to the law that include making it a criminal offense to remove a shopping cart from the private property of the grocery store or other retail operation. She has presented for consideration, the idea of making charity a crime - if that charity takes the form of giving money to the homeless. You see - Ms. Miller wants to clean up Dallas streets - and get rid of street people. And now look what we've gone and done - we've opened up our arms, our hearts, our wallets, our hotels and yes- our cities - to busload after busload of homeless people. How many will remain homeless - I don't know. I will pray that each and every one of these souls find a place to call home. In the meantime - I pray that we all learn to deal with the changes in a positive and uplifting manner.
There are also other changes in the wind...
More on those once the wind settles down...
Until then...
WOOF ya later!
- bbw
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