Louisiana is relieved to hear that her other friend in South Florida has weathered Hurricane Katrina's wrath; but she is sorry to learn of the death of their youngest child, Adam, and the recent hospitalizations of two of the daughters, Aurora Dawn and Corin. She tries to offer the grieving father some comfort and hope.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005, 11:24 a.m. (got a later start on the computer today...)~
Dear Eddie~
You don't know HOW relieved I am to have finally heard from you again! Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me; I have been worried sick about you!! I am happy to say that I heard from your neighbor, Betty Jo Ciagalore; she is okay, but she is now with her mother, and she is still looking for work. Be praying for her!
I was aggrieved to learn of the death of your little boy, Adam. Please accept our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies; I am sorry this had to happen! When did he die? I pray and hope that he didn't suffer; and I pray and hope that God brings you comfort and peace during this hard and terrible time in your lives! If you need ANYTHING, please let us know! I was also sorry to learn that you nearly lost Aurora Dawn and that Corin was recently hospitalized as well. Hopefully both Aurora Dawn and Corin are doing MUCH better; I will keep them in my prayers as well!
And now the hurricanes...sheesh...it has been bad lately, hasn't it? We didn't get the hurricane-force winds like y'all, but we DID get the heavy rains, the threat of flooding (no flooding here, thank GOD--we live on a hill--, but there WAS some minor flooding in the lower parts of Nashville--), and there were a few (MINOR) tornadoes that spun from the remnants, but very little else. No damage at our place, thank God! But the weather has settled, the rains have moved on out, and the weatherman is promising relief by this weekend, with highs in the 70's here, with lows in the 50's! Ahhhh! I can't wait; I am ready for fall-like weather!!!! And THIS coming from a CAJUN!! LOL)
Speaking of hurricanes, we have some Katrina evacuees at our place, an African-American woman in her forties (she lost everything she had; she was in the hospital here, but she is now on the mend; but she faces a long and difficult recovery; she is from Biloxi, Mississsippi), and three African-American siblings from New Orleans, Louisiana, ages 11, 9, and six, who lost their parents in the storm, and they are having a hard time of it now. They are missing their homes back in Louisiana and Mississippi, but they are grateful that we let them stay, and they are trying their best to adjust to their new surroundings and try to make the best out of a very difficult situation. Add to the hurricane evacuees, our own kids, 48, in fact, who live here! So you are talking a FULL and VERY BUSY household!!
I am also writing to a woman in Mississippi named Maria; she is currently in a shelter, and she broke her leg; but she is otherwise okay. Seems that she remembered me taking care of her, and so she wanted to write to me, to thank me for caring for her, which I thought was a very nice thing to do! So my computer is going to be hot, judging from all the e-mails going in and out!! LOL
So if I don't write as much as I normally do, please do forgive me. With fifty-some children running loose, plus a recovering woman, an elderly father, and a husband to take care of, my free time is severely curtailed, and what free time I DO get is very, very precious to me. I am lucky if I get on the computer at ALL now, the way things have been going around here! I also work (as does my husband), but I am off today (I worked for a co-worker last week, today she is working for me, in return of the favor), and I am enjoying it!
Did I tell you that we added another girl to our family? We did! We added an eight-year-old from Romania named Janica Kryzstina, and she is so pretty! She has spina bifida and ambulates with Lofstrand crutches and leg braces (but DOES use a wheelchair for longer trips), and she is very sweet (if somewhat shy) in nature! I will send you a picture of her, so you can see what she looks like! And now we have three NEW kids, all from New Orleans, Louisiana, to take care of! They may end up getting adopted one of these days, as soon as they are entered in the foster care system, but hopefully, ONE day, somebody will adopt them! We will put them on our adoptive kids registry through AASK, and we'll go from there.
Well, Eddie, I will let you go now; Peaches (that is one of the New Orleans contingent; she has two brothers, one younger named Reynaldo, and an older one named Antoine) is calling, so I have to see what she wants. I will write again soon; again, please accept our sympathies upon the death of little Adam, and know that if you need ANYTHING, you know where to find me. I'll get back to you somehow, and I will try to help you as best as I possibly can, to help you get through this emotionally difficult time! God bless you and your family, and again, thanks for writing!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tennessee friend, Louisiana ("SUPERWOMAN") Sandusky. :( >tears<
So, so sad... gorgeous little face in the pic! My heart is heaving and breaking... how do your characters manage to keep going?! Perhaps I am just not cut out to able to cope with too much on my plate at one time... you describe scenes of utter devastation and complete hope all in the same breath... but that's right, isn't it? "In the midst of life we are in death"? Somehow you always manage to bring this home to me. Keep on keeping on, Karen... you are gifted at these poignant writes. Bless you and thank you. Kate xx
Tuesday, September 27, 2005, 11:24 a.m. (got a later start on the computer today...)~
