A Real Life Tale~

Thank you all who are praying for everyone down in La. and Mississippi. I am staying at my mother's house tonight. She lives about 20 miles from me and had power restored recently.

We have to wait in long lines for gasoline, takes about a hour. The trucks aren't getting here before everyone sells out. The grocery stores are just opening, everyone is standing in line for bags of ice that are stacked in the beds of trailers. Generators are worth more than gold. I sat at Home Depot for 6 hrs today, waiting on a shipment that was scheduled to arrive around noon. AT 5:00pm they told us the truck was stuck in Texas somewhere and there would be no generators tonight.

Search and rescue people are headed down to find body's along the coast, however, the roads are still covered with houses, cars, you name it. There are a couple of Naval ships that left Norfolk -we heard that they will have medical supplies. That's wonderful.

Where I lives there is just alot of structural damage, but everyone is helping their neighbor saw trees. etc. I took some photo's of the two house across the street from mine, both with massive old oaks trees, lying in from of the house, one on a car, on across a truck.

Today my daughter and son are at a church where over 50- 100 people from a nursing home in LA, were basically "dumped". No one knew for 48 hrs that they were there. One died. Everyone is reaching out to help one another, it's always a wonderful thing to see.

I was just wondering when Bruce Springsteen and Barbara Streisand are going to show to raise money for the people in New Orleans and the coast to help them rebuild. Shouldn't hold my breath, huh? As bad as people have talked about churches on blogster, I will tell you now that these are the first people that have responded, opened their doors, opened their homes to complete families. Even our hometown boy, Brett Farve has 50 people at his home in Hattiesburg, and is driving truck loads of food and water down. Welcome home young man!

This is just a short update y'all and I'm sorry it isn't a happy blog. My arms are so sore, I hope I can shampoo my own head tonight.lol

I have not heard from my best friend that lives in New Orleans. Light a candle if you will guys. She's a good person.

Will blog more when I am here at my Mom's house.

Take Care all,
Cindy

posted on August 31, 2005 9:52 PM (CST)

......#2 Updated Post ---re: Katrina's Path

I am still helpless here. I am unable to help in ways that would make a REAL difference.

We still have no power or phone @ home. Not a problem for me really. The main thing is I have food for the animals and they are comfortable. The heat I can tolerate.

As soon as my power returns I am opening my home to whoever needs a place to stay. That's seems like it is not nearly enough.

We need manpower. We need people. We have the "stewpot kitchen" open to serve one meal a day. Any one can sign up and the Red Cross and training takes a few hours. They will bring you down here. We have to find the missing and dead and that means mainly men who can lift boards, etc. Giving money will help of course, but nothing is better than another human. Call the animal rescue league and offer to "babysit" someone's pet. After our town is restored and things are back on track here (which they think may be next week, mid week) I am going volunteer go to New Orleans. You guys know I go there at least once a month, I am worried about the old man that use to sit on Royal St. selling peanuts and pencils. He had no legs. He was mentally retarded. His family would pick him up around 3 or 4 in the am and take him home. Did he make it? I have an expedition I can take things down and sleep in the truck if necessary. I'll just park it in some shade. Universities that have "clubs" need to get together and get a long weekend together and come down. As I said, the $ is great, the people are better. When 911 happened, I tried to go to New York, but was not trained by the Red Cross, so I could not go. You can bet if it happens again, I will be headed that way.
I want to share more of the story about my son please.

The 100 (give or take ) nursing home pts. that were dropped off in the church gym and were left 48 hrs without anyone noticed were found yesterday. My daughter ( who has my personality) just jumped in, with a TCB kind of mode, doing what had to be done. My son, who has a pure and kind heart said he said he sat down with every person, held their hand, rubbed their heads,put cool towels on their faces and necks, adjusted their body's straight in the bed and just talked. He said he tried to spend at least 15 minutes with each person. My daughter said at one point J.D. had to leave the building, ( he went to the truck and cried) but came back and sat and just talked. He told me he just talked about what ever he would think of. Some of the aids said "oh, that lady won't talk.". of course, J.D. had them talking and laughing. There was a lady that spoke only Spanish. He knew very little. He spoke with her as best as he could, then he said he remember the word, "Asshole" so he leaned up and whispered it and pointed to someone and the old lady laughed until she had tears some down her face. The people had their names written on the gowns and on their hands with a black marker.

He said one blind lady had a "over 100" written on her shirt. He spent a lot of time with her. He called last night and said "Mama, I told each one of them my name because they were saying no one would help them, I told them, you just yell J.D. and I promise I will come running!" He stayed the whole afternoon with several of them calling his name. He said he would seek out the quiet ones. He got several people to drink water that the aids had told him to leave alone, they had been refusing to drink. As he told me all this he began to cry and said, "Mom, I have to work with people, I would rather work with old people." That's when I told him that instead of being a surg. tech or x-tech, he should go on to nursing school and specialize in geriatrics. He has most all the pre-req's out of the way. I feel as though he was a blessing to those old people yesterday just as they were to him. He just wanted to hold their hands and let them know someone cared. I am sorry I am to go on and on about this, but I am proud of him and it shows the difference one person can make.

Please, today... if you can get out and do just ONE thing for someone, my heart today is with the elderly, please do. It is so easy to turn off the TV so you won't have to think or see about any of this.

Try and make a difference for one person today.

My neighbor across the street is in a wheelchair. In her youth she was a wonderful English teacher and best friends with Miss Eudora Welty, who lived several streets over and would come by and visit her weekly.Miss Welty died several years ago, and she doesn't see people now as often, and doesn't get out of the house much. I need to make up some ice cold sweet tea for her, and take some sandwiches in an ice chest. I will do that while I am still here at my mom's.

I'm off to see what today will bring... funny, when you are in the middle of this you don't even know what day of the week it is. I guess it's not important as the days have all started running together.

Thanks for your comments all, when I read them I feel like I'm keeping in touch with family and friends. You have no idea how much it means... you really don't.

I still haven't heard from Lynell, my friend in New Orleans, her son and grandchildren were there too. Keep the candles and prayers for them also.

Thank you cannot begin to explain how much you guys mean to me.

Let me add, if you guys ever need anything, just say the word. Hey, If I will give out my phone number for someone to call me collect, don't think I won't jump in a car and drive somewhere. If you really know me, you know I mean what I say. My word is my bond. My daddy taught me that.

We have each other and sometimes that's all you need.
Cindy