Kindness After Katrina

When we lost our house in Hurricane Katrina, of course there were the big things we had to deal with, like insurance companies, realtors and finding somewhere new to live. Losing all our family photographs seemed an even bigger blow than losing the house. A house can be replaced, rebuilt, or a new one found.

Two years later, we can think back to that time and see how far we have come. For all the bad that happened, so much good has come to pass. It is all the little things that now mean so much. We have a friend who fared better than we did, and one of the first things she did was give us a recipe book. This was no ordinary recipe book. She knew which one we used the most -- a local church recipe book -- and discovered there were no more in print. She brought her copy to a printer who took it apart and photocopied the colored pages one by one to make an exact copy.

A recipe book may not seem like much -- just a book -- but she knew that each recipe made from that book was a connection to Mississippi, the fun times spent with family and friends, special occasions, meal-keepers and meal-never-againers.

That recipe book has since immigrated to Canada with us, where it is used with love and gratitude.