It’s been eight years. And I’m still not finished saying thank you.

If you’ll indulge me just a moment, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the many random acts of kindness experienced by my family starting August 29, 2005 and lasting until we were back on our own eight feet again. Most of these people did much more than what I’m mentioning here but we’d be here another eight years if I listed every single kindness.

Thanks, Residence Inn, for opening your bar to everybody. And for the Frito pie. Without it, I would have eaten nothing that day.

Thanks, Houston Children’s Museum, for letting my kids pass a stress-free afternoon on you.

Thanks, Molly, for not only giving us your home for nine months, but for making the acquisition of a new nebulizer for then-respiratorily-challenged Vivien an immediate priority.

Thanks, Dr. I-Forgot-Your-Name, for hearing our family’s story and making my son’s pneumonia crisis at Halloween your personal problem to solve.

Thanks, Tom, for understanding that Dave needed a car. And getting him one.

Thanks, Mom, for taking a job in Baton Rouge and helping literally to sponsor Dean’s entire kindergarten experience.

Thanks, teacher at my son’s school, for giving my kids more books than we had before the hurricane.

Thanks, Wedding Crashers, for being the first thing Dave and I did for ourselves (at my parents’ urging) in the midst of the chaos. It was the only time I laughed during those first few weeks. And it was for a straight 128 minutes.

Thanks, Dad, for hugging me the time I cried uncontrollably in the middle of the night.

Thanks, Chris & Georgia, for waiting in that long, hot line for Food Stamps. And then turning around and handing them to us.

Thanks, Caterie (the hole in the wall where Dave and I met), for comping our dinner after you learned where we came from.

Thanks, Kenny and Kara, for driving down from Atlanta, suiting up in trash clothes and braving our flooded property to retrieve an armload of belongings.

Thanks, Runnels School, for providing my boy the best Kindergarten away from home that he could have possibly had.

Thanks, JT, for immediately offering to share your locker with my nervous child when there weren’t enough for the new kindergartner who suddenly found himself enrolled in your school.

Thanks, Jeff, for all the clothes, toys and other goodies that you couldn’t stop yourself from purchasing for the kids.

Thanks, Mickey, for picking up the reigns and hosting holiday after holiday when no one else could.

Thanks, Amy and David, for arranging for Vivien to attend St. John’s Pre-School. And then paying her tuition.

Thanks, Architecture firm in Arizona, for helping us to purchase a new piano, amongst other things.

Thanks, old Lakeview friends, for helping us celebrate Dean’s 6th birthday at a park shelter in Baton Rouge.

Thanks, Mound City Elementary School in Missouri, for literally adopting my family. (I still have your school newspaper from when you announced the project.)

Thanks, Elise, for opening the back of your boutique to me to just go shopping.

Thanks, Troy, for the video camera to help us capture all of our new (post-Katrina) memories.

Thanks, anonymous family, who sent us money.

Thanks, Keri & Cheston, for sending box after box of stuff to share with another family.

Thanks, Lisa, for the Target shopping spree.

Thanks, Little Church on Jefferson Highway, who gave me groceries for several weeks.

Thanks, Whitney & Ricky, who showed up in our borrowed driveway with bikes for my kids.

Thanks, Red Cross, who bandaged my bleeding hand when I mangled it sifting it through my flooded house.

Thanks, Church Group from Somewhere in America, who gutted my Lakeview home for free.

* * * * * * * * * *

And thanks to the countless others who sent gifts or money, grabbed a check, watched my children, fed my family or just held my hand during that difficult period. Your kindness will never be forgotten. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to pay it back and, even more importantly, to pay it forward.

18 responses to “It’s been eight years. And I’m still not finished saying thank you.”

El Guapo | August 29, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Reply

Thanks, ODNT, for bringing your family through intact.
- Kari | August 29, 2013 at 12:26 pm | Reply
  
  So very true Guap.
bbutler2013 | August 29, 2013 at 12:16 pm | Reply

To this day I can still see in my mind the water rushing over the homes & hearing the wind, I can’t remember who did the filming. I admit, I didn’t know much about New Orleans at the time, but I had never seen so much damage in all my life. I’m glad you made it through & hope it doesn’t happen again in your family’s lifetime.
Kir Piccini | August 29, 2013 at 12:17 pm | Reply

I am sitting here in tears..and wanting to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped you, reached out, got you through it. I’m so glad eight years later you are on the better side of that storm.
THANK GOODNESS.

XOXO
Kari | August 29, 2013 at 12:35 pm | Reply

It’s amazing how quickly people can come together to help out someone they’ve never met. I’m glad you had those people, and your loved ones. I worked in a small restaurant 500+ miles away, and I can still remember all the faces I saw the days/weeks after everything happened. Large groups of families would come in, sit down, take a deep breath and try to escape for the moment while enjoying a meal together. The best part was when they finished their meal, and I would tell them it was on us. Even though we gave them a meal on us, they gave me so much more to me. xx
Stephanie @smtimmons | August 29, 2013 at 12:39 pm | Reply

Through the tears in my eyes all I can do is send you a hug through the internet. (((hug))) You are one powerful Mama. I can immediately think of 3 other people that you would be on their thank you list! Hint* They share your last name. 🙂
Mel | August 29, 2013 at 12:44 pm | Reply

You guys are all class. Love you!
MommaFishy | August 29, 2013 at 1:09 pm | Reply

Touching story. My favorite one. Life is Beautiful.
Ashley | August 29, 2013 at 2:51 pm | Reply

That was awesome & I’m in tears.
Mover Mama Maria | August 29, 2013 at 2:54 pm | Reply

Glad you all were okay. Love you guys.
Beth | August 29, 2013 at 6:38 pm | Reply

Michele, I love that even with so much bad stuff from Katrina, you were, and are, able to appreciate the good stuff. I love that so many people were so kind, especially to you guys. Y’all are awesome. I meant that in the true sense of the word. Thank you for sharing.
The Vanilla Housewife | August 30, 2013 at 4:54 am | Reply

Oh my God I am in tears. People are awesome and rise up to the occasion. I have never thought that a blog named OldDogNewTits could make you cry like this. Baaaahh!
The Shitastrophy | August 30, 2013 at 7:08 am | Reply

what an amazing list of people that came together for your family, and countless others no doubt, during such a horrendous time. It gives you hope for humanity.
Jill | August 30, 2013 at 11:49 am | Reply

This really hits home, as we are still very much recovering from Sandy here in NY. I am in the worst-hit area, and my sister’s family lost their home. They are now back in after a massive gutting and rebuild, but lives here will never be the same. I’m sure she could write a thank you list just like yours, though. That’s the important thing: to force yourself to see the beauty, the good, the sacrificing by the people around you. Beauty will always rise from the ashes, you just have to open your eyes and look really hard to see it sometimes.
Dyanne @ I Want Backsies | September 1, 2013 at 6:36 pm | Reply

This hits home for me, as well. I live in Joplin, and although our home was not hit by the tornado in 2011, we were still affected by it in other ways, as was every single person in this town. The kindness of strangers is beyond measure.
upliftingfam | September 22, 2013 at 8:49 pm | Reply

I hope that you can finally recover from the hurricane, I realize that it will take years to fully recover from this tragic event. I can’t believe it has been that long already, seems like yesterday it happened.
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