Shame on me... (9.1.05)

I got called out by someone for pontificating on my wedding woes and being excited for Lee's new job while all of the folks in Louisiana and Mississippi are facing the fight of their lives. I decided not to post said person's comment because this is MY blog and I can talk about whatever I feel like...but in light of his comment, I will say that I have been decidedly self-centered lately. I don't apologize for it...but I do feel guilty about it.
That said, I pray a lot, and lately I have been praying several times a day for the folks left in Katrina's wake. Lee went to college at Tulane, so he feels especially close to the devastation, and we have been watching the news like addicts. Living in a coastal town, we know that this could just as easily happen to us - no one living on the ocean is exempt from hurricanes. In fact, my parents' beach house needs $50k in repairs due to Dennis.
So I suppose my point is that I do care about things going on outside of my little world...I am aware that I am not the center of the universe...I am actually more compassionate than most...
I am updating this about 4 hours after I wrote it...I have been reading a lot of articles online about Katrina and about New Orleans. This is such a scary time. I was telling someone yesterday that the fact that people here are in line at the gas station and all harried and weird makes me think of nuclear war and aliens and the like. Which sounds like a wierd statement, but it makes sense to me. It's that feeling of uncertainty...fear of the unknown. And that's what's happening in New Orleans too - people are losing their minds down there. Shooting at military helicopters, fighting in the superdome, looting stereos (????)...it gives me a horribly uneasy feeling. Disasters usually bring out the best in most people, but they can bring out the worst, too, apparently. And I know the people down there are feeling so helpless and scared. And of course the big question is, What can I do? Give, give, give and give... that's all we can do.
My mother forwarded me an email this morning about a teacher at her school who took a borrowed van down to New Orleans and is actually transporting people to Houston himself. Now THAT is admirable. He is taking strangers 350 miles to safety just because.
So, yeah, my wedding is not even a blip on the grand radar screen. Not even the corner of the edge of a blip. But Katrina has made me even more thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. That's what we do, right? Take stock of our blessings and try to help those less fortunate. Humbling to say the very least.