The September 2021 Blog
01.
Volume 3, Edition 11
A Word from the
First Lady of Louisiana
Together We Will RISE
Hurricane Ida has come and gone and left her mark on us all, along with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustave, Laura, Delta, and the list goes on. Devastation, damage, lives lost. And, inevitably, someone will ask us, “Why don’t you MOVE?”
So, why don’t we move? Why don’t we move to another part of the country?
This question was asked of me a long time ago during one of the other hurricanes that devastated our state. This person was visiting from another state, of course, and asked me that question, “Why do people keep rebuilding and staying here in the same situations and constantly at the mercy of Mother Nature?”
At the time, I didn’t respond to that person’s question, even though the question was probably more of a rhetorical question. But afterward, I thought of many answers. First and foremost, this is HOME. Louisiana is our home. And when you love your home, you rebuild.
Is there a perfect place in the USA? Whether manufactured or natural, is there an ideal city, town, or state without issues, disasters, and problems? I dare to say there is no perfect place. There are wildfires and earthquakes in the west, floods in the northeast, snowstorms in the north with freezing temperatures, tornados in the Great Plains. There are even volcanoes and storms in “paradise,” aka Hawaii.
But I think if you ask anyone who lives in those areas and has for decades and also raised families for many generations, they will all say the same thing. It’s not perfect, but it’s home. Their love of home draws them there and keeps them there. They/We choose to go there, go home, in times of trouble – to an imperfect place that feels like no other. Louisiana is home!
Let’s also remind ourselves that being resilient is not a state one should endeavor to remain in permanently. The definition of resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”. We should all be mindful of our own limitations and pay attention to stress levels. According to the American Psychological Association, “People who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives commonly experience emotional pain and stress. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress”. Be kind to yourself and those around you as we travel another road to recovery. You can read more about taking care of yourself while building resiliency here.
Back in my January blog, I said Happy ReNew Year 2021. The year 2021 has once again been a year of REs. So, my Louisiana family, we will reGroup, reDo, reEnergize, reBuild, and then REST! We are all Louisianans, and we may disagree, argue and fight at times, but we are family. Together our Louisiana family is reSilient, and together we will RISE.
Louisiana, we will RISE together!
Love to you all,
Dear Lord,
Be with our people as we rise and rebuild.
Give us rest when we sleep so we can start refreshed each morning.
Give us strength and courage as we move forward together.
We love you Lord God.
Amen.
THOUGH I FALL, I WILL RISE AGAIN
Micah 7:8
RESOURCES:
HurricaneRecovery.la.gov is now live. Any Louisianan affected by Hurricane Ida can use it to find important updates, information and links to resources. Be sure to visit.
Additional resources for recovery:
https://gohsep.la.gov/emergency/
