What A Beautiful Morning

Good Morning...the sun is shining in New Orleans!
Today is my groups "day off". We will be working with a youth homeless shelter today, and also walking around the ninth ward. We are physically exhausted, but so eager to finish gutting the house that we are working on. I am amazed with all of the hard work that everyone from Hamline is putting into the recovery efforts down here. The emotions have been extreme and draining, but we keep going. I am touched at how the neighborhood that we are working in has opened it arms and hearts for us.

One moment that has stayed with me was a conversation with a gentlemen that stopped by the house we are working on. He pulled up and asked where he could call to get people like us to come help him. He is disabled and has one son. They alone are trying to do what 9 of us are doing to one house. On top of his own struggles he is helping out his neighbor that has congestive heart failure, and was told he had six weeks to live before the hurricane hit. When he told us all of this I wanted to grab the group and go around the corner to his house. I expressed my desire to want to help but explained that we couldn't. After I had apologized he said "Don't worry it is ok, by helping my neighbors you are helping me. You are bringing my neighborhood back." Emotions fell over me. His comment gave me hope and energy. By helping put one persons life back together we are helping an entire neighborhood.

I am getting ready to walk out the door, but I will leave you with a comment that a survivor told me "If there is one thing that you take back to Minnesota with you make sure you tell everyone it is NOT OK in New Orleans". This is what ignites the fire inside of me to keep on working hard.

-Megan Tighe