Merry Non Denominational Winter Holiday!
Allison, Emily, and Kaillee Hilton
So, I've been sitting here trying to find some sort of Christmas-y jpg to put on my blog, and well, nothing I searched for hit home for me. I looked for holiday images of the Mississippi Coast - none. I looked for Kris Kringle - meh. I looked for Peace images - same old. After exhausting my Google abilities to no real avail, I started thinking; What is it in this world that is important to me, and gives me a reason to want Peace on Earth during my lifetime?
Of course, there is Jeff, all my little creatures that share our home, our parents, our friends, music, art, and all the other things that give me a reason to get up in the morning..... and then I remembered that my sis-in-law, Kristen, sent me some photos of my nieces the other day.
I cannot think of a better reason to want Peace on this Earth than for these young humans. And I don't mean just them, even though they are the closest to my heart.... symbolically, they stand for all the children in this world. Even closer to home, they stand for all the kids who are currently displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. For the last 3+ months, these precious girls have been staying in different homes, but not their own. And they are lucky... many of the Katrina Kids are still in tents, travel trailers, hotels or shelters.
Katrina left our beautiful Coast with the biggest challenge we've ever faced. To be able to recoup after she shredded the Coast to its very core is a challenge all in itself, but the bigger challenge rests with the people: love, laugh, and rebuild. And rebuild we shall.
My Christmas wish to all of the Coast is for 2006 to be a time of renewal and rebuilding, both of physical locations, and of the soul. It breaks my heart to be so far away, but know my heart is there with all of you.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Kwaanza, Solstice, or whatever you celebrate....
posted by Judy Gex @ 4:49 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Nice sentiment -- thanks.
Judy, it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you keep thinking and writing about all of our people who are struggling each day with what is now "everyday" life. I spent part of my Christmas finally taking the dreaded ride down Hwy. 90 from Biloxi to Pass Christian...OH, MY GOD!
It is difficult to get mad at the devastation on the MS Gulf Coast because it was nature-made, not man-made. My first reaction was awe at Mother Nature's work. When you speak to friends on the Coast and they say it looks like a bomb was dropped or that all is gone...they do not lie. However, there is no way to put into words the scope of the devastation. No pictures will do it justice, either.
On the other hand, you see New Orleans and it is very easy to get mad...this was a man-made event, 40 years in the making.
You can't compare the MS Gulf Coast with New Orleans because it is two totally different monsters...but, you can feel for the people of both areas because they all have so much to deal with. On the Coast, most people don't have to worry about gutting houses because they are just not there. In New Orleans, people don't know what to do...gut or move...still waiting to see what parts of town are going to be bulldozed.
I have to say...I have always been proud to be from MS, especially the Gulf Coast. The people have always been an amazing group. I have always known Mississippians to smile and wave as you drive by, but I never expected to see people smiling and waving from their slabs. These people are a strong people. They knew the chances of living on the beach, so they are picking themselves up by the bootstraps and doing what has to be done.
I have always been proud of living in New Orleans...you can't knock these people down, either. Hell, they had a parade Labor Day weekend for Southern Decadence!
We have always been able to role with punches, we just got pummelled this time. We are not quiters, durnit!
Christmas was different this year on the MS Gulf Coast as well as New Orleans, to be sure, but it was a very meaningful Christmas. Over the years, Christmas has lost a lot of it's original meaning and each year it becomes more and more about the retail aspect of the holiday. However, this year, many people did not have the time, energy, or money to wade through the masses, trying to find the perfect gift for each person. This year, people spent more time together, more quality time. Christmas caroling at Jackson Square in New Orleans actually attracted more than 6,000 people!
Yes, this was a different Christmas...a bittersweet Christmas, a heartbreaking Christmas, an uplifting Christmas.
Thanks to all who still have us in their hearts and minds.
robin
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