Remembering Katrina

It's hard for me to believe, but it has been three years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Our family lived a block from the beach in a little town called Ocean Springs, Mississippi. When we heard that we were in the path of the storm we evacuated to our son's home, about two hours north of the coast. Little did we know when we left our home on that beautiful Sunday morning that the path of our lives was about to change forever. It took many days before we found out what happened to our home and our neighborhood, but finally our daughter received a text message on her phone from a neighborhood friend. "I'm sorry, Elise, but your home is gone. Nothing is left." Those eleven words hit us hard that day, and the effects of those words are still being felt by each of us today. When we were finally able to return to our home, we were filmed by a tv crew for the news in Holland. My husband's nephew works for one of the stations over there and he asked if they could capture our reactions to the devastation. Here is the broadcast as it appeared on Dutch tv: http://www.tweevandaag.com/index.php?module=PX_Story&func=view&cid=2&sid=29839
One year later they did a followup report to see how we were fairing after the storm and what type of progress had been made. The report is called, "Eén jaar na Katrina" and can be viewed at http://www.eenvandaag.nl
It was a horrible loss and one that affected our family deeply, but we were upheld by our faithful Savior every step of the way. The bottom line is that GOD IS GOOD and His goodness has nothing to do with the circumstances we go through. The quotes on the side of this blog are ones that helped me through some of the dark days. And Psalm 23 came alive for me. Many mornings, before my feet even hit the floor, I had to pray, "God, You are my Shepherd and You are more than enough to meet my needs."
Tonight we are keeping a close eye on this new storm brewing in the Gulf, and we are praying that God enables all of us that may have to evacuate His wisdom and mercy and grace.
And one more thing, this song has brought healing to my heart. I hope you enjoy it and that the lyrics will bring you comfort if you are found in one of life's "storms".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw