Sabbatical leave is over with and I am on my way back from wonderful Louisiana to my pastor life in beautiful Northeast Pennsylvania. Leaving Baton Rouge on Sunday, I spent that day and night in Biloxi, Mississippi with my sis and my mom before going on my way.
Dayton Scoggins, chainsaw artist, has made art out of some dead trees along the Gulf Coast down there. In the background are distressed trees bravely leafed out, surrounded by vacant lots that were once (B.K. -- Before Katrina) thriving businesses in prime coastal real estate.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is very real. I saw lots full of empty FEMA trailers and "camps" of people in FEMA trailers and camping vehicles. I heard Louisiana residents disgusted at the amounts of Federal money "squandered by Louisiana graft and corruption" even though
most of the waste has been by the Federal government. I also heard about many people still displaced, suffering or otherwise affected by Katrina, two years later.
I do hope, with the chainsaw artist, that something beautiful eventually will be crafted from what Katrina has wrought.
It's a perfect day for a hayride! The Bright Beginnings kids (preschoolers) are going to pile onto the Youngs' haywagon today and enjoy the great ride that Chris always gives us. Over the hills and through the changing autumn leaves we will travel on dirt roads and maybe even through some fields. I get to tag along with the both the morning and afternoon classes, and I love it! Add "hayride" to my list of pastoral perks. Life is good!
