Ocular Fusion

I figured there would be some inspiring tales emanating from the Gulf Coast this holiday season. The citizens of Waveland, Mississippi lost nearly everything to Katrina, but as you can read from this USA Today article, their spirits were trampled but not broken.

Unlike many of us who have never experienced such upheaval, the good folks there have learned to do without many modern conveniences but are thankful nonetheless for the basics--food, shelter, hot water and the companionship and love of friends and family. Things are looking up as you can tell from the article, and the fact that Wal-Mart is back on the scene, adapting to the situation and meeting the needs of their customers in new and unique ways, is further indication that "normalcy" is making a slow, but sure comeback.

But they still have a long way to go and now is the time, after the rush to help is dying down, to keep our prayers and efforts focused on the people of the Gulf Coast for the duration of their recovery. I know there will be more inspirational stories like this one in the days ahead and I would appreciate it if any of you who run across one would chime in and point us that way.

Really, you don't even have to go to the movies or read an epic novel to encounter great examples of bravery, sacrificial love and overcoming. The good folks in Waveland and in countless other places along the Gulf Coast are serving up a heaping portion of all those things this Thanksgiving as they lift their eyes to heaven in the most difficult of circumstances.