There are many things in life I may never experience, like standing in the center of a city in a third world country after it had been leveled due to the effects of war as it still reeks of the stench of death. Well I did have such an experience except I was not in a third world country and it was not war torn but be certain of one thing, there was death. This place I describe to you was Biloxi, Mississippi and the time was September 5, 2005 through September 19, 2005. I was on national assignment with the American Red Cross aiding with the effects of hurricane Katrina.

The one thing that is common in a war zone and this place I describe to you was the death and all that goes with it, the pain, the suffering, the loss, the uncertainty. I was just a visitor on a mission but for the survivors this was their lives.

It would be difficult to try and describe to you in a few words of the experience I had while in Biloxi but I assure you I will never forget it. When I arrived, I felt lost and confused as to why I as there and what I supposed to do. I was only one man, what possible difference could I make? How could I possibly do anything for these people who have lost everything? The storm took away their homes, their jobs, their loved ones, their purpose.

How was I to know that the people I was sent down to help would actually do more for me than I felt I could do for them. Through their experiences I was moved and uplifted in such a way that only god himself could have done so. These people, these so-called victims gave me the power to see beyond what I thought was reality and touch the spiritual essence of my being. They took my hand and guided to me to a place I had never imagined a place that from appearance was total and utter destruction but infact was the meaning of life. It was birth, it was a reflection into my own soul. These people have such power to take from nothing and turn it into something and watch it grow. These people are not victims, but instead were teachers. They taught me how it's possible to overcome fear and destitute and hopelessness and rebuild my life, my hopes, and my dreams into anything I wish. I am sad for what has happened to the possessions that once belonged to these people because we all know that “things” can never be replaced. Also I am sad for the lives that were lost due to this disaster, that is something that is forever. In all of this though I hold the greatest respect for each and every person who has been through this experience for like myself, life will never be the same.

While on assignment I was placed at a shelter and given the task of helping establish a distribution center, man was I lost. Do you realize what I do for a living? I work with people with disabilities, nothing like this. The stress I felt working 13 hour days in the hot sun doing a lot of heavy awkward lifting sweating off all of those unwanted pounds from my 5’8” 148 pound frame. The stress came from not feeling as if I was not doing a good job or working hard enough to accomplish this task set before me. At my disposal I had very few resources and inconsistent manpower and the worst part was that I was in charge. I watched as we took in trucks of any and everything that we had to filter through and organize and dispense to the community. It evolved day after day into something more and more fruitful, partly from my vision as to how I see things should be, but mostly from the efforts of the people who were working under me, from church volunteers to shelter residents. I was so intent on this succeeding that I had to fire a young volunteer one day, but I brought him right back five minutes later because he was one of my hardest workers. As I said before, you and I would have to set down and have a lengthy conversation for you to truly understand what this experience was all about.

So here goes a flurry of things I experienced while on this, my first national assignment with the red cross, and if you read into the other pages of my web site you would understand how I got to this place I found myself standing at.

During my stay, I slept on the floor of different churches that were being used as shelters as well as the floor of a closed down high school. I saw many schools that were destroyed by the winds and wave surge, trees that were just plucked from the ground and thrown for blocks, everything on tops of houses, trees, cars, boats. Some houses were not destroyed but instead moved into the streets. I saw floating restaurants and casinos that were moved far from their original location and up onto the shore across the roadway. Houses and buildings had just collapsed and fell into themselves. There was debris and rubble everywhere burying all that was left in its path including people. I did have some conversations with people who had no choice but to stay and wait out the hurricane in their homes or apartments, and when I heard the shakiness in their voices as they described the experience, I understood for myself the power and the rage behind the hurricane.

I will never forget the smell of death; I will never take for granted the life, the opportunities, the choices, and the freedom I have been given. I will hold in my hand the hand of someone else who has lost these things. My purpose is their purpose and it will always be this way. This is my choice and never will I look back or regret how I “wasted “ my time on others, for someday I will be one of them and I will need help from someone else. Love is the greatest gift I have for all of you, what did you get me?