Katrina Cleanup continued....

I'm sure many of you may wonder why am I talking about something that happened over 2 years ago. Honestly, it was because of a question asked on the DIBBS. Apparently a couple of high school students are writing a paper on Hurricane Katrina and her impact. I don't think anyone from the south, maybe even the whole nation will ever by the same after this storm. We definitely saw the worst and best in people. I was fortunate enough to witness some of the best.

We woke up to a beautiful Dauphin Island Sunday morning. As always, I got up early to watch the sunrise, and no surprise, several of my youth joined me. We walked along the edge of the water collecting "treasures" and enjoying the view and the thrill that comes with welcoming a new day. We watched the dolphins trialing the shrimp boats.


Breakfast was cold cereal, and lunch was sandwiches. Everyone was anticipating our "picnic" in Cadillac Square with Mr. Bruce and Ms. Marilyn. We had never met, but I felt like I knew them already. The kids were amazed that someone that had never met them would cook them dinner (They rather lost the prespective that they had driven for hours to go work on houses of people that they had never met...which was why Bruce was willing to cook for them). Not having access to the internet, I didn't realize that Bruce was posting pics of our meal to make others jealous (should have known since I myself have set drooling and envious at countless pictures of meals he had prepared). Anyway....now I'm hungry. These pics definitely don't do anything to help that either.

Yes, that is 2 pork tenderloins wrapped in bacon.


Again, with Marilyn's WONDERFUL bread.

We practically inhaled the first one.

Bruce kept us all thoroughly entertained, and managed to not get captured on film. You will notice that the food is located on the "adult" table. Of course 3 of us stayed standing up to swat away any kids trying to get "seconds".

We only managed to get the back of Marilyn's head. I of course was caught with a huge glob of mayo on my face. I truly didn't care. This was the best thing I had ever eaten!


The kids still talk about it! Not just how delicious it was, but also how generous of Bruce & Marilyn.

Our youth really felt the connection with them (as did we adults). When Bruce & Marilyn shared that they had lost their son in a car accident several years before, it really impacted some of my older kids. They had lost friends to car accidents. Having just graduated a few weeks before, one was really feeling "survivors guilt". Seeing Bruce & Marilyn talk so lovingly and happily about their son gave him hope that he would eventually be able to talk about David again with joy.

After our wonderful meal our mouths were a little bit on fire (did I mention that the pork was cooked perfectly and just the right amount of "spicy"?) So we decided to stop at Island Rainbow for a Shaved ice, snow cone, sno ball whatever you want to call it. Unfortunately it was about 2 minutes after their closing time. It was a sad looking bunch of Methodists heading back to the church van. When suddenly the door opened and they said they would stay open just for us. We had our last couple of youth at the window when another car drove up. Someone told the driver that they were closed. She looked so crestfallen and so sad, and almost lost. I couldn't handle it. I told her to just join us and we would pay for her's with ours. She offered to pay but we wouldn't let her. Amazingly, we learned that she was a Katrina victim that had moved from New Orleans to Mobile. She was missing the "sno-balls" from New Orleans and someone in Mobile told her about Island Rainbow. She had driven all that way to try them out and see if it would help her homesickness. She transformed almost right before our eyes, as she enjoyed her frozen treat and the company of my kids. When she left, she was like a different person. She told us that while it was such a simple gesture, she felt renewed. One of my girl's commented later, I think we really helped her. Even if it was only for that day, I think we did. It was the perfect ending to a perfect DI day. I always go back to the words in the book of Ester, I feel like we were at Island Rainbow, for just such a time as this.... Bruce & Marilyn had shared freely with us. We shared freely with someone else because Island Rainbow had re-opened just for us. How much better the world when we help others!

I must to confess to having pulled this photo off the DIBBS, I'm sorry that I can't give proper credit to the photographer, but it just fits since I started the day with shrimp boats, to end it with a shrimp boat.




Tomorrow, heading for Gulfport.