nola on my mind

bourbon street~new orleans, la november 2006

it has been 2 weeks since i got back from my
working vacation in new orleans. and a vacation
it was. i haven't worked or laughed so hard in
so long. this simple journey re-lit my wick. 14 months
have gone by since katrina's force devasted
southern states.

14 months after katrina~9th ward new orleans, la

the lives of many will never
be the same, they have years of reconstruction.
years of looking for old friends, records, family
and self worth.

we worked through st. gabriels of the archangel.
we worked with several parish family's needing help.
miz lula - braving breast cancer on a 5 year treatment
plan. pete and sonia - a retired couple who now have
had to start all over. frieda - a single mom of three
teenage boys. we gutted her house. so paralyzed
by the storm. she hadn't even gone in the house
to look for posessions. when we entered the house
it was left as the water and storm had left it. furniture
piercing the walls. old fish tanks still holding flood
water and memories flowing throughout. as we
walked through our labor, house stripped down to the
bare studs, mildew creeping up the wires and wood. a
back closet held what we saved for frieda to look
through. precious memories left equaled 2 small boxes.

2 small boxes.~9th ward new orleans, la

i don't want to preach or get on my horse about our
government. but what i do want to express the need
for help. need for assistance. need for hands.
they need hands, hands that will lift, move, hang,
sweep and hold. they need hands to hug, hands
to extend towards them.

you want to help. contact the red cross, contact
a local church. its not just new orleans, its the south.
if you can help, please take the time to do it.


lower9th along the levee~new orleans, la
what worldly posessions would you put in 2 small boxes?

[great things are done by a series of small things
brought together. ~vincent van gogh]