News & Current Events

We are being inundated with questions about how best to help the Baton Rouge area in the aftermath of the flooding this month. The offers to help are overwhelming, so we've compiled tangible ideas and resources for you below. However you choose to help the Louisiana Flood Victims, the families and moms in Baton Rouge thank you ... every little bit matters and counts! ***Is YOUR home flooded? Check here for flood resources and help.*** Cash Donations {or Volunteer} It feels less personal to send money, we understand. That said, money is a fast, easy and efficient way to get resources into a community, thereby allowing those leading the clean up efforts to utilize the monetary resources in an efficient manner. Of course,...

It's Just Stuff, but It's Okay to Cry Baton Rouge is starting to get back into our homes to assess damage, salvage anything still usable, and begin to gut and clean. Pictures of rooms with shifted and toppled furniture and soggy sheet rock are starting to fill my personal Facebook newsfeed. Captions to these pictures are mostly some version of "It's just stuff, we're okay, we're together, we're thankful." Yes, it's just stuff, and most stuff can be replaced, but so much of it has value far beyond what money can buy. Our homes are more than dwelling places. We arrange and decorate and build to reflect who we are and what we value. Our homes are where we bring our...

The Incomparable Beauty of Community To say that South Louisiana has had a rough month would be an understatement. In July, we felt the fear and heartbreak of a deadly assault on our police. Less than one month later, we are attempting to pick up the pieces of an entire region ravaged by unprecedented flooding. In my neighborhood, the image of blue ribbon attached to an almost completely submerged mailbox bears witness to the fact that we have not yet recovered from one tragedy before facing the next. But true to our culture, Louisiana is proving its resilience, empowered by the strength of its communities. After the police attack, we witnessed support and fundraising like we had never seen before to assist the families...

Author’s Note :: This blog was a collaborative effort of survivors of flooding and their thoughts on how common sayings have made them feel. Not all statements resonated with all victims, but I felt each one was important to list so that readers could understand their feelings behind the well-meaning comments. I have said many of these things and probably still do today. The list is not meant to demean others, but to give a new perspective on how some flood victims feel, remind others to be sensitive to their feelings and offer assistance if at all possible. As always, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and raw emotions. Giving support from your heart is ultimately the main...

To: The 90 Percent From: The 10 Percent I sit here feeling more emotions than my mind can comprehend, one of those feelings being guilt. Guilt for being one of the very few who were spared through this unthinkable disaster. I am watching my friends, family, and even complete strangers go through something that I cannot fully grasp. I even wondered if it was because God knew that it was something that I couldn't handle. I have a family in my home right now who came here with the clothes on their back and their two dogs in a crate. That's it. We have managed to get them cleaned up and gave them a warm meal and a place to lay their...