A Picturesque Life

It is now well into February and almost six months has passed since our area was hit and devestated by Hurricane Katrina.

I’ve really struggled with this post. I’ve thought about not posting and changed my mind. Then I would change my mind again. Joshua keeps asking me when I’m going to post it and I’ve put it off for some time. But I decided to post now.

I generally like to keep my blog rather upbeat. I’m a happy person. Even when things are tough and difficult. I generally try to keep out of the depths of despair….and I like for my blog to reflect that.

Not that I want anyone to think I have it all together or that my life is free of problems. Far from it….I just rather like to focus on the positive.

So that’s why I’ve struggled with this post.

The last week of January I finally went to the beach. For the first time since the storm. (I went to a concert in a park on the beach the Saturday night before Katrina hit early Monday morning.)

Not driving along the beach is a bit weird. Many things we like to do are (were) on the beach…..the mall, my favorite resturaunt, several festivals and concerts would take place there….we would go often. So not going for almost six months is a bit weird. I don’t know if I’ve ever in my life gone that long without driving along the beach.

So we went. Joshua had been several times since people were allowed to but I had no reason to since most of the things I used to go to the beach for were no longer there.

So I must admit to it being a bit upsetting. I didn’t actually cry….I had done that already and am long past that. We are rebuilding…and most people are doing much better. It was just a bit overwhelming….

So, here are some pictures of what it still looks like around here. (I hid the pictures because there are tons….so it may take awhile to load…especially if you are using dial-up).

There were lots of lost businesses. This picture is of the Pass Christian Wal-Mart. Pass Christian was one of the most charming little beachfront towns in existence. I always loved to go there.

And these:

Pass Christian also lost it’s police station and city hall.

This Waffle House is one of the places where Joshua and I would eat when we went on dates.

And one of our first dates was spent at this historical park. Doesn’t look like much now but it used to be quite charming….

And this swanky restaruant was one I always wanted to try. We talked about going, but I guess we waited too late…

Here are several houses that were damaged or destroyed in the storm. Now, these were once huge houses….very nice. I used to enjoy driving down the beach looking at the gorgeous housed planted amongst the live oak trees….

There used to be a mansion beyond these gates…now there is a very large slab…

And tons of apartment buildings were destroyed. Here’s one…

One of the things that really got to me was seeing personal belongings littering the area. Christmas tree lights, dishes, telephones…it gave all these piles of rubble a definate human touch…

I wonder how much time the owners of this house spent selecting just the right color of tile for the floors….

…and seeing toys was heartbreaking…

We saw televisions, computers, wave runners, boats, and vehicles….

And where are all these people who lived in these homes? Some have relocated. Many have. And then the Fema trailer has become quite popular.

Many Fema trailers are located on the slab of a former home.

And then there are the tent cities. A guy Joshua works with lives in this one…

I cannot say I have much sympathy for those complaining about our mild winter this year. I thank God that it has been unusually warm for this time of year….

So anyway. I just wanted to share with you guys what is going on down here. It’s not all bad. There have been awesome testimonies that have come out of this tragedy. We have also met so many wonderful people who have come to help.

Our church has been housing Samaritian’s Purse members that have been coming from Canada to help. It has been awesome working with and getting to know these wonderful people. And just this Sunday a youth group from Plano, TX, came and ministered to people in our area. They also joined our choir this morning…it was wonderful.

I also posted about one church bringing hope to the people here.

God is still blessing us!