Flip flops, sandals and slippers......

That's what hundreds of children have been wearing to school. Hundreds of children who have lost just about everything and are now trying to learn to live in a new city. Now that a cool front has actually made its way down here for the next couple of days (thank you God!) we are realizing that these children need real shoes. Isn't it always that way--you know it's going to rain in the morning yet wait to look for your umbrella as you're heading out the door. ....A day late a dollar short.

Anywho....this city has been shoe crazy today. And thanks to many good-hearted people, there will be many warm little feet over the weekend. But....realizing that this 'shoe thing' caught us by surprise, I've been thinking. Christmas is just around the corner, and unfortunately we're hearing that around Christmas, bills will begin becoming due once again for those who have been displaced --mortgages, car payments, insurances, all the payments we normally have to make.

I don't know what's going to happen then because these payments have only been 'postponed' not 'forgiven', meaning that all of a sudden, not one, but two or three payments are due on the house, car, etc. I'm sure people KNOW this, but knowing something and dealing with it are two different things. I imagine there is going to be some kind of plan to help people deal with this. I mean, if you haven't worked since mid-August, how can you catch up with all these payments?? ....It makes my stomach hurt to think about it.

But back to my point (before I forget I had one). I can't do much in the face of all this, but I can try and make Christmas better for some of these kids--and hopefully in a round about way relieve a little bit of pressure on their parents for a brief time. I know at face value it seems superficial to be thinking about Christmas and gifts and such. But whether we like it or not Christmas is gonna come and children are going to be children and want, well....want everything. And our society is such that any parent is going to feel bad if they can't see a smile on their kids' faces Christmas morning. And....damn it, that's all I can think of to do right now.

Oh, in case anyone is worried about frost bitten toes on little feet. Not to worry. It's only getting in the 50's at night--for two nights. But to see us down here, you'd think the first snow was comin'. I'll bet that tomorrow you'll see people, many people, walking around in sweaters..sweating profusely.

Even though the official search for bodies has ended, people who were finally allowed to go home this week are finding bodies of their loved ones, so the official count of the dead in Louisiana as of tonight is 1003.