Little Treasures

Hurricane Katrina was 7 years, 4 months ago. That's a long time, eh? I don't really talk about it much but not because I don't think about it or feel some after-effect on a regular basis. I don't talk about it because people aren't really interested, and who can blame them? If it didn't touch you in a very real, personal way, if you didn't lose everything you owned in an instant, along with your community, and/or people you loved, then there's really not much to talk about. Allow me, however, to give you a lil bit of a different perspective on the aftermath.

So, there's this thing that happens after you suddenly lose everything. See, you don't know all of the things you own. You can't close your eyes and list every single little thing (down to the trinkets) that you have. It's literally impossible. Trust me. Even some of the big things are difficult to recall when they're instantly out of sight. Talk about a weird sensation... Your things are so personal and so familar, right? How could it be hard to know what they are if you're not looking at them? It's truly bizarre, no doubt.

Here we are, then, 7 years later... and every now and then I have an attack of what I have come to call "Phantom Stuff Syndrome." It's sort of like the phenomenon know to happen when an amputee feels a limb that's no longer there. Sometimes I'll be looking for something I need - say, a backpack, for example - tearing the house apart looking for it because I know I saw it in that closet JUST THE OTHER DAY. I'm convinced - it was there and I SAW IT. The problem is, it wasn't there. And I didn't see it. It's been gone since August 29, 2005. 

Then other times, somewhat of the opposite happens. I find a jewel that I didn't remember I had. Something salvaged. You see, in my house, there was 7 or so feet of water, which means that about 1-1.5 feet from the top of the ceiling was dry... "ish." In my closet, there was a shelf that was about one foot from the top of the ceiling, and on the shelf I kept my high school yearbooks, and a box of letters and other things near to my heart. When we went back to recover what was recoverable (not much because of the water and black mold), those things on that shelf were brought down and saved. So here I am packing to get ready to move into a new home, and I stumbled upon one of these boxes... full of little treasures...

Dozens of letters from sweet friends from near & far (1997-1998)

Ribbons & medals for various things Grades K-5, report cards from Grades K-1

Little Box of Treasures

A box of paper, metal, and ribbon... who knew these things could be so invaluable. I can't imagine how much less these things might have meant to me if they weren't the sole remnants of a past washed away. I stand grateful. For little treasures. :)