Losses - Katrina

Today is one year since Katrina hit New Orleans and the surrounding area. Such losses those people have felt! I heard on MPR this morning a woman being interviewed that she and her husband had re-located to Minnesota until they could get back to their home. While she said the people in Minnesota were very nice and welcoming to those coming from New Orleans, they still wanted to return to New Orleans, because it was HOME. They couldn’t think of living somewhere else. They moved back to Louisiana, but could not go to their home. Now her husband’s employer re-located them to another place in Louisania. They are trying to sell the New Orleans house, they have two mortgages. They have always had good credit and she is worried, with expenses that they will have financial problems. Another woman talked of having to start over at age 50 with a 30 year mortgage on a home, when the home they lost in New Orleans was within 6 years of being paid!

I feel so sorry for all those that have had to go through this past year and all their losses.

I have thought many times of the losses in my life, but after listening to the interviews this morning, I realize that my losses pale very much in comparison. I of course, have lost my parents and loved ones, but that is life, we know we will have to face those losses at some point. I've had other losses too, but try to keep them in prospective. But, we don’t expect to lose our homes, our belongings and everything we have worked for all of our life. We are reminded though in scripture that we are not to build our treasures on earth, and when things like Katrina happen, it reminds us of that scripture.

I believe that things happen for a reason, but we often do not know what that reason is, and maybe, will probably, we are not supposed to know what the reason is.

When thinking of the losses in our lives, we also need to keep in mind that we are not always in control of what happens to us.

Keep in prospective too, that material things are just that, material things. But, that in losing material things, we have to respect that those that lost those material things feel a great loss. May we keep in mind today and always, those that have lost their homes and belongings to the Katrina Hurricane, and keep them in our prayers.