Katrina - 20 Years

 

Katrina was unlike anything we had ever seen. Everyone knows the story of New Orleans, but what’s often forgotten is how Mississippi and the rest of Louisiana were devastated too. By the time Katrina reached where I lived, she had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane—but she was still fierce. Our reservoir churned with 14-foot waves, and we were without power for two weeks. Even then, we considered ourselves lucky compared to the people to our south, who endured unimaginable loss.

We must never forget what happened in New Orleans. The people there were failed. And we must also remember the many others Katrina touched—their lives, too, were forever changed.

Below is an excerpt from my blog, written on August 28, 2005. 

Katrina is on her way

Katrina Packing Wind of Nearly 175 Mph 
AP - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans, a city sitting below sea level with 485,000 inhabitants, as Hurricane Katrina bore down with wind revved up to nearly 175 mph and a threat of a massive storm surge. Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort including the Superdome arena. "This is a once in a lifetime event," the mayor said. "The city of New Orleans has never seen a hurricane of this magnitude hit it directly." From Yahoo

This is going to be bad, I hope all my friends in NO and the Coast are Hitailing it out!! My thoughts are with you all!!!!

I can still vividly recall standing in the middle of my street, surrounded by darkness. The sky was full of stars, and the only sound was the low, steady hum of generators.

The Reader

The Mary Lib Saleh Euless Public Library in Euless, TX stands out as the public library with the most monuments I’ve ever seen. Just outside its entrance, there’s a particularly touching memorial that immediately caught my attention. What makes it especially heartwarming is the inclusion of the man’s dog as part of the tribute. Even more meaningful is the fact that the dog’s head remains shiny and free of patina—clearly from the many people who have lovingly rubbed it over time. It’s a quiet, beautiful reminder of the deep bond between humans and their loyal companions.

Vibrant Memorial

The vibrant colors of Hawaii add a poignant contrast to this solemn scene. Here lie the remains of the USS Arizona and the brave men who went down with her during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The radiant sky and lush greenery surrounding the memorial stand as a quiet yet powerful tribute to those who were lost, a reminder of beauty and resilience amidst the weight of history.

 

Also linked to: Sunday Best.

House Divided

 Abraham Lincoln—the Great Emancipator, the steadfast guardian of unity, and the indomitable force who preserved the United States from the brink of self-destruction. With unwavering resolve, he bore the weight of a fractured nation upon his shoulders, paying the ultimate price for its salvation. Rising from the humble confines of a modest log cabin in Illinois, Lincoln ascended to become a towering figure of history, a man who, with wisdom and courage, stitched together the frayed fabric of a divided union. Today, as the nation once again finds itself frayed and fragmented, his legacy stands as a poignant reminder of the enduring strength required to mend what is broken and to forge a path toward a more perfect union.

"With malice toward none, with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

~ Abraham Lincoln

Casting Crowns

Sometimes we fall and we lose what we thought was so dear and soon we have to find our way back to a place where we are comfortable.  Sometimes we find that what we lost wasn’t so great and we shrug it off and we rise above it and we find something so much better.

(About the Photo:  Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the wife of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and she is who the city of Charlotte, NC was named for.   This statue that appears outside Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) appears to have her casting away her crown symbolically as the city itself once cast away its ties to Great Britain in the American War of Independence. )

Water Through Time

Water drips down the bottle, 

Slowly moving through time.

Time doesn’t slow, even for the lowly. 

Loneliness spreads like the water, engulfing my entire soul. 

Darkness takes it’s toll as the clock ticks on.

Time moves and doesn’t slow. The darkness drips into my very essence

Polluting my thoughts, and souring my dreams.

Time moves darkness flows, loneliness takes root.

I drip down the glass moving through time, wishing it would slow, but it never will, not for me… not for you… not for water.

Ave Maria

Part of Wordless Wednesday.

Remember

September 11, 2001 a day that will forever be remembered as a moment in time where it all changed.   Not just for the American people who were attacked during peacetime on their own soil, but for those affected by the repercussions that spread thereafter like ripples in a pond. From New York to London all the way to Kabul, Bagdad and Abbottabad, this chilly morning ten years ago was the moment that everything changed. 

  Today I remember the heroes that lost their lives, and all the men and women of all nations that continue to fight in the War on Terror.   I also thank all the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to ensure the safety of all of us from firemen to police all the way to EMTs and TSA.   Thank you.  

My words will forever pale to express the sorrow and horror of that chilly morning ten years ago.  I wrote this poem in the aftermath of that fateful day, and ten years later I feel it still expresses my thoughts and feelings.   Bless America and her allies.

United

11-September-2001

We will never be the same, they have seen to that.

They have broken our hearts, but not our spirit.

For once again we stand a nation united.

United under God.

United under freedom.

United Under courage.

United under the great banner adorned with stars and stripes.

Forever we will stand one nation indivisible.

They may try, but they can not take that away!

 

(These photos are from the 9-11 memorial in Panama City, FL. All Images and Words ©2011 J.G.W. Blakeney)

In Honor

Sherman, TX

Monday is Memorial Day, a day to remember those that gave their lives in honor of this country of ours.   We must honor them and never forget the sacrifice that they gave us, and we must not forget the men and women currently sacrificing everyday for our country.   We do however tend to forget the foreigners that gave their lives for our values, let us also honor the men and women who gave their lives for our country, though it was not their country to serve

These memorials are from different places… though they are all similar they all share a common status, they honor men and women who gave their lives in the armed forces of various different wars and battles.

Meridian, MS

Brandon, MS

Natchez, MS

Echo Un-Silenced

The battle of Vicksburg was one of the most important strategic battles of the American Civil War.  After the battle, the dead counted;   the horrors of war cleaned away, the loss on both ends was staggering.  At the urging of the federal government, and the creation of the Vicksburg National Military Park the battlefield became a memorial.   Each state that had soldiers lost in the battle commissioned a memorial or memorials, all are grand in scale…  but few compare to the Illinois memorial, created to mirror the Parthenon in Greece.   

Silent Echo

Part of the Wordless Wednesday!!!!