Mom and Katrina

Update on Mom and her whereabouts after Hurricane Katrina. She and her husband, Dan, were able to stay in their home in a rural area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Their home suffered no severe damage. Praise God! However, since my mom and Dan both work in casinos that were wiped out in the storm (Mom is a restaurant manager and Dan is a blackjack dealer).... they had no jobs. Just this week, they found new jobs in Baton Rouge at a casino there. They are grateful for new jobs but feeling out of sorts that they have to leave their home and move to a new area.

And in Baton Rouge, my friends there report that the population has doubled. My friend, Laura, said that instead of taking 10 minutes to get to her local Target, it takes 30 minutes because of the traffic. I'm bracing myself for what it will be like the next time I visit Louisiana.

My sister, Michel, and her family are settling back into their home in New Orleans. They also suffered no major damage to their home. Their kids are back in school and Michel is able to commute to her job in Baton Rouge, which used to be in downtown New Orleans.

I still have not absorbed the enormity of the situation. As I watch footage on TV, all I feel I can do from thousands of miles away is to pray. Thank you for your prayers for my family too.