[Gpdd] [misc] Hurricane Katrina!!! (whee are finally safe)

[truejedi at bellsouth.net]

Dear all our friends on the Digest,

We thank you all so much for your prayers and kind thoughts.  These past few days have been so stressful around here.  I"m not from New Orleans but about an hour or less away.  We live in the middle of New Oreleans and Baton Rouge.  I talked to my Mom on Saturday and they said they weren't leaving town.  Sunday when I talked to her she was panicking and said they were boarding up the house and leaving.  She invited us to go to Houston, Texas with them.  At first I told her no that we would be ok.   I got online to check the latest updates a little while later and read that buildings in OUR town would be collapsing, swaying, and windows would be broken.  I called her back crying saying I wanted to go...but my fiancee wouldn't leave.  I begged him to come with me but he didn't want to leave home.  I am terrified of bad weather so I knew I had to get out....not just for the safety but my nerves wouldn't have been able to handle it.  They picked me up Sunday at 3:30 and we arrived in Houston Monday morning at 9:30.  I tried getting in touch with him but all phone lines were down.  It was the worst feeling in the world.  I have never been so scared in my whole life.  I kept seeing pictures on the news from Houston and it was very scary.  Finally Wednesday I was able to get through to him.  He said he was ok and our home and cars were ok too!  Last night he called and told me we had power again.  (only because we live close to the University and they are trying to get the lights back up so we can get back to school)  We left this morning and I just got home.  I can't even begin to tell you all how thankful I am right now for everything I still have.  We have a lot of damage in our town and two apartment buildings did collapse....but we are all ok with NO damage at all!  We saw the bus loads passing taking the people from the Superdome in New Orleans to Houston and other shelters.  We saw people handing out free water on the side of the road in front of their houses.  We noticed EVERY car in the parking lot at the Houston hotel had a Louisiana license plate.  In the stores in Texas we would see people buying things like bread, candles, batteries, flashlights and we started talking and they are from the same town as us.  We have watched gas prices go up from 2.50 to 3.25 a gallon in a few days.  There are people in my Mom's town killing each other for a gallon of gas.  Crime rates have increased majorly.  People are breaking into stores and homes looking for clothes and food.  It's really scary.  In my Mom's town they are telling people don't go home because it's too dangerous.  I haven't heard from her yet but I'm really worried they won't have a house to go home too.  They got hit really hard.  We did bring the pets.  She brought her puppy and her bird, I had the 6 Uineas and hamster.  They all stayed in the hotel with us and did very well on the long drive there and back.  They are happy to be back in their C&C cage tonight.  And their Mommy....she's a different person now.  I am so thankful now for so many of the small things.  When I couldn't get in touch with my fiancee...I had no idea what I would come home to.  All I could imagine was that something happened to him and our home.....I was making myself sick worrying so much.  I just want to tell everyone enjoy what you have while you have it.  Tell the people you care about how much you love them everyday.  Admit when you are wrong.  Stop and take a break from the busy life we live and spend more time with family and those you really care about.  We  never know when our last day will be.  At first I couldn't imagine loosing all my things in the home that we have worked so hard for in the past few years....but when I thought of loosing my family..suddenly everything I owned didn't matter anymore.  I was just praying my fiancee was ok...I didn't care about the house or anything in it.  But I see how lucky I am...I still have everything....and I feel like the luckiest person in the whole world and I'm even more thankful for everything now.  I came home to internet and a nice cool place.  Many places around here won't have power for weeks or even months.  I know this is getting long but I just had to tell you all of my experience.  Just want to share a poem that means so much to me especially now:

Tomorrow Never Comes
written by Norma Cornett Marek in 1989
Printed with permission.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would videotape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I would spare an extra minute or two
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
and certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do's?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget,
tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike.
And today may be the last chance you get
to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day
that you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
whisper in their ear,
tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"please forgive me," "thank you," or "it's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today. 


Thank you all for listening!  Take care and please keep these people that got affected by Katrina in your prayers!  And go hug those piggies and your family and tell them how much you love them!

Misty and The Uineas