Another One for My Missal

I don't know if ironic is the best word choice, but I am going to say that I find it ironic that I recently wrote about 9-11 and hoping no world event would ever be so horrific as that day and then Hurricane Katrina happended. Though clearly different in that Katrina was not a man-made tradgedy as was 9-11, it appears to be as horrific as 9-11 in its scope of damage and expected total loss of life. I find myself compelled to watch the on-going coverage and feel extreme sadness and anger for those suffering there. Mostly, I can't help but wonder about the political, economical, geographical, societal/racial impacts of all of this.

I find that as this tragic event has unfolded, people have varying attitudes on what has taken place there and what to do about it. At the 4-day training I recently attended, many law enforecment types were there. The Indy PD guys were anxious to head out on a media-announced, planned Task Force mission there this Monday. It was evident they were hoping to help in any way they could. Others, mostly I noted from more rural Indiana area police departments, expressed disdain for those stuck in the area, saying things like (and this is true) "it's their fault they chose to live there; break the levees and let the whole place flood out. It would take care of all the drug users that place (New Orleans) is loaded with".

Jerry told me about his reaching out to a displaced Louisianan college student who is now going to attend Butler Univ. and is currently residing in our town. He and I agreed we would help her out with transportation or meals or whatever she may need, if she calls on us. I would like to do more, especially if in some way I can help the babies in need. I have things I can donate and can buy additonal supplies to donate and am trying to figure out how best to do that.

I have a "Sunday Missal" given to me by my maternal grandmother, Victoria Hensley, when I was 16 years old. She "stocked" it for me with funeral cards from extended family members who passed away long before I was born. Over the years. I have added letters my grandmother wrote before she died, tokens from my life events, such as the ticket to my college graduation commencement, and added other funeral cards. Years ago, I also began adding newspaper clippings of notable historical events and tradgedies. With Hurrican Katrina, I now have another to add to the long-folded pages of newsprint that include the stories of: Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the LA riots of 1992, JFK Jr's death, the start of the Iraq war, Clinton's election in 1992, (my political preferences are beginning to show) Princess Diana's death, Dale Earnhardt's death, the Columbia tradegy, the London bombings, the first day of 2000 (No Y2K problems, hurray!), and other things that maybe don't deserve a place in a Missal, but are significant to me in some way.This includes my Graceland Tour ticket stub and a ticket stub to John Lennon's biographical movie "Imagine". Go figure. And if you are wondering, all my 9-11 newpaper articles are saved in a box. I saved too much to put in my tiny Missal.