1st Day

December 18^th

We’re finally all settled in our rental house in Bay St. Louis (about 15 minutes from Pearlington.) This was the first time in the 5 trips that I’ve been on that they actually had our rental vans ready for us! Leaving New Orleans we remarked on how different it was from those first few trips where everything on either side of the freeway was in absolute darkness due to the devastation. We can see lights along the way and know that recovery is happening even if it is too slowly. Some of us wore our Pearlington shirts and while several folks thought we were going to a family reunion, one of the flight attendants said that her parents had volunteered in Pearlington too! There are 8 of us working this week 5 of whom will stay over Christmas for the 2^nd week and another group of 11 arrive on the 26^th. We will be at Ben’s house tomorrow around 7:30AM to receive our assignments for the day. Part of the group is shopping for food and supplies at Walmart. I can’t wait to see what’s been done since last Christmas. Douglas was here in the spring but it’s been a year for Bill and I. I’m looking forward to visiting the families whose homes we’ve worked on—especially Miss Ana and Sam & Lyn. Some of you will remember my stories of Miss Ana and the photos of her beautiful home last year. Sam is the one that rescued and placed over 800 dogs in that first year after Katrina hit. Lyn is the one that contributed to the book “The Women of Mississippi Remember” which we gave to several of you after it came out. I know that once I’m back at work in Pearlington tomorrow, the problems at school will recede for me a bit and that will be good. However, when I do see people whose lives have been devastated and who are still not in their homes after 4 years it will also cause me to have less patience with the bickering, polarizing, and lack of tolerance and professionalism that our staff has been showing lately! That would be an entirely different blog! The photos that I am including are of the view from the plane as we approached New Orleans, pictures of the gloves that Emily Cruze knitted for every member of our group (thanks Emily!), some of our group picking out gloves, and Douglas who is sleeping on the much too short sofa!