Did Anyone Else Notice?

There was nothing funny about Hurricane Katrina, but I couldn't help think about the story that is heard every so often about the man (or woman) who was a victim of a flood and stranded on his rooftop. A person comes along before the flood and asks him if he wants help leaving before the flood and he says, "No. God will help me. I'm staying." Then he is stuck on his rooftop and a boater comes along and asks the man if he wants a boat ride to safety, again he says, "No. God will take care of me." Finally, a helicopter flys overhead and they call out to him, "We're here to help. Climb into the basket." The man replies, "No. God will take care of me!" The man eventually drowns and as he is entering the pearly gates, he asks God, "Where were you? Why did you let me drown?" God answers him, "Who do you think sent the man to help you, and the boater, and the helicopter? You made the choice to not take advantage of my gifts to you." It seemed that this story mimicked many of the stories in New Orleans. Help was sent, but many people refused the help that was offered. For those that were stranded because they were offered no help, like the helpless victims of the nursing home in New Orleans where the owners left the residents there to die. Or the people that were unable to leave their homes because of various infirmities. One of the saddest stories, and yet at least the people found safetry, was of the deaf individuals who only realized the magnitude of the problem when the water level reached their beds and they clawed their way to safety. There is no end to the heartache of Hurrican Katrina, but lost among the stories of tragedy and loss, are the multitude of acts of heroism and the countless hours put in by tireless health care workers, firefighters, police officers, civil servants, and National Guard and Coast Guard members. I'm sure that we will hear more in the days, weeks and months to come. Let's hope that these stories do not fade into the background like so many other tales from trying times, but that lessons are learned and we come to appreciate the acts of kindness and not dwell on the acts of vandalism or violence.