Post #185691 by vintagegirl on Fri, Sep 9, 2005 7:48 PM

For PJ and all others affected by Katrina: yes, it sucks to have to accept aid when you've always stood on your own before. But 1) it's not like you did anything to cause this situation, it’s not your fault and 2) remember the aid you receive is partly karma deservedly coming back to you as well as possibly your own tax dollars you've already paid into the system. So, see, it's all just rightfully yours anyway...at least in my opinion.

And even though everything is pretty bleak right now with no jobs or homes, keep in mind that people who still have their wits about them (and yes, I'm sure that's questionable too at times like these) always seem to get back to where they were in life. My grandmother had to leave her town in France after WWII because there were no jobs or resources. Food was scarce, much had been destroyed and she had 4 children to care for by herself. She had to head out for another town to find work and moved her family there.

In fact, when the Americans arrived in her town, they were handing out care packages of food and such, but my grandmother refused saying she didn’t accept charity. My mom and her siblings had recently brought home a stray dog (which did not please my grandmother since there was already so little food) so my grandma handed the dog to the soldier offering the package. He understood that she was trying to pay for the package with the dog so she got food for her children and the soldiers apparently gained a mascot for their troop.

In another example, some Hungarian friends of my parents were practically run down by Russian tanks trying to escape in the revolution of '56. They hid wherever they could, barely had anything but the clothes on their backs and stole eggs from farms along the way to feed themselves. They somehow and eventually found their way across the border to freedom and completely started their lives over. I'm not sure what they exactly did next, but 6 years later they were in the states making a good living and eventually bought a nice house here in Los Angeles.

Anyway, I know those situations were quite a while ago, but I give these examples as hope that even in the most seemingly hopeless situations, there IS the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It's only a matter of time (perhaps a while) before your husband finds a replacement job, but meanwhile try to just take one day at a time. I read that the donations to relief efforts are setting records so hopefully all the help you need will be there for people like you to rebuild your lives one step at a time. I don't pretend to know what it feels like in your shoes right now. I just want to give you hope that there will be a day in the future when things will be a lot better. It may just take a while and some help from others to get there.

Also remember that giving helps us too. It helps us feel like we can put a faster end to the awful reports we are witnessing.

And by all means, please do post your list of necessities when you do need them.