Labor Day Weekend . . . Thoughts about the past few Labor Days

This marks the first labor day in three years that I have been at home. The last two years have been spent in wind torn and water battered areas near the Gulf of Mexico. The summer of 2004 trip to the GOM was interesting in a lot of ways because it was the first Red Cross deployment for me. It was also interesting because I ended up being in close proximity to several storms. Never in any real danger, but the storms were lurking around and causing chaos for us. Flexibility and patience were the lessons from these storms.
After developing relationships with people on a route, it was certainly hard to evacuate and leave them behind, many had run three times previously and were not going anywhere for the fourth storm of the season. They did not have any "run" left in them. It was strange staying 35 miles away from ground zero of the "Charlie" strike. It became much like a morning commute, see the same cars and drivers at gas stations, stoplights and fast food restauraunts. The transition when I came home was difficult, it seemed surreal that we did not have blue roofs and piles of debis on our streets.
Last year I left for Louisana on the 27th of August. After a few days on the road I ended up in Baton Rouge, LA. We arrived after Katrina, amid a population that for the most part was still in shock from the storm. We, too were in shock at the unusual events that were taking place. American citizens trapped by water on roof tops, trapped in shelters of last resorts, trapped in relatives houses because their houses were gone. Part of the shock was the lack of accomadations. Only by the grace of God had I purchased a sleeping bag and a tent at a Walmart along the way. Additionally I had purchased a good quality air mattress. The tent became my home for over a month, part of the time in Bogalusa and part of the time in Slidell. If you had told me I would live in a tent when I was 49 years old, I would not have believed it. Fuel Trucks and food trucks had armed escorts. People in Bogalusa were hungry when we brought the first meal and subsequent meals to them. People responded well to the Red Cross and when we went to Slidell they responded to the Real Cross. Exciting times to be a minister of the church and a soldier for Jesus. Well my son Matthew wants to go swimming this afternoon, I need to spend time with him and Krista. I know I value them more because I have met people who lost wives and children in the storms of life. Pray for those who were hit by the storms of life and pray for those who responded to them.

Buddy