Geaux Heroes Geaux

Even Riley, our garden pig got into the act this weekend. Geaux Saints, Laissez les bonnes temps roulez!, Who Dat...all ushered in the weekend New Orleans and its fans have waited for. Having grown up in New Orleans there is a part of my heart that beats harder when something is said about the Crescent City. I admire the people who stayed, returned or ventured into the city for the first time after Katrina. These were real pioneers. Things were rough, things were dirty, things were depressing, and there was a long way to go to reach a success that outsiders could comprehend. I can only imagine how difficult it was living in New Orleans. The house I grew up in was under 5 feet of water. The present homeowners were heroic and put it back together. 85% of the city was under water. That includes more than what you saw on tv, that includes many more people than you saw on tv. There are lots of people who are putting the city back together and there are a lot more who will continue putting it back together. They are heroes. Our doctor friend has stayed past the point of exhaustion to carry out his oath to do no harm. Leaving the folks in New Orleans without medical care would do harm. He is a hero. The Saints as a team and as individuals are heroes. Tom Benson who kept the team in New Orleans is a hero. New educators who had the vision to build and improve on the poor education system are heroes. People who put their money and muscle into the rebuilding are heroes. New Orleans deserves this win, deserves a pat on the back and encouragement to keep up the heroics that are going to be required to continue the feat of rebuilding a city that took 300 plus years to build and 24 hours to destroy.
Geaux Saints, Geaux good people of New Orleans. When the going gets tough the tough get geauxing.

For two very strong and eye opening accounts of life during and immediately following Katrina check out One Dead in the Attic by Chris Rose and Code Blue: A Katrina Physician's Memoir by Dr. Richard Deichmann. You will have a new perspective on what happened in New Orleans and a new respect for those who endured.