New Orleans Rises to Another Day

sunrise on the Mississipi River, originally uploaded by circulating.

Before the sun dawns upon another day, please hope, please wish, please care, before New Orleans goes away.

I posted my very first blog entry after visiting New Orleans for ALA. My feelings haven’t changed since then… no, that is not right. They have gotten stronger.

New Orleans, I know what it means to miss you today.

Chris Rose, at nola.com, shares some thoughts on this one year anniversary.

This isn’t the Sudan. It’s not Lebanon. There are greater hardships all across this planet than living in New Orleans. But by American standards; by the standards of those families who lived side-by-side in the same voting precincts for the past 60 years in Chalmette, Gentilly and the Lower 9; by the standards of those who worked their asses off to get a nice house, a nice car and a picket fence in Old Metairie, well . . . it pretty much sucks here.

But we move on, move up, our faith in government washed out to sea with all that floodwater and our hopes for recovery rooted in our reliance on each other and the triumph of the human spirit. They are our best and only chance.

I made a promise to NOLA before, to return again, and I will. My heart has today and my body and soul soon will.