Sunday, July 22, 2007

God Bless Gulfport

Aside from seeing the cavity that is Ground Zero, this was without doubt, the toughest stop.  A true heartstop.

This was home for a period of time when my son was just a little guy.  He learned so much about respect for his elders, and he learned more real life civic lessons than any other time in his life until he went into the military.

Bo's school is gone.  The apartments in which we lived, no longer exist.  Those old memories are kept in our hearts ... and those are broken still.

A large part of me wants to be on the Gulf Coast, helping them bring it back.  And any approved group that would like to tell what they're doing and what they need, to do just that ... Send us the info and we'll print it here,  For instance, you can actually buy the Gulfpart Fire shirt, and the funds go directly to them.  We'll get a contact to post for you.  Hey, I bought one ... they're nice!

Coming back here was hard.  I had no real idea what we would see.  All of us had heard so much about New Orleans, but none of us had any idea of the utter devastation the gulf residents are still dealing with as they try to piece their lives and their homes back together.

More, much more will be written about our visit to Gulfport, but as you look at the photos and see all the empty spaces, realize that this is along the beach highway.  Nearly every lot was filled with a beautiful, historical southern mansion home.  Now there are vacant lots and trailers and occasional signs of rebuilding.

Just looking at the pictures, the lump is back in my throat.

This is one of the most heartfelt Bad*ss series we've ever taken.

Liz, Kathy & Kelly

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