What Really Matters in Life

I’m sitting here in Beaumont, TX, a mere 5 hour drive from the utter devastation that is now New Orleans. I’ve been overcome at times by the horror of what has occurred there, and find myself thankful to be without cable and satellite TV service at the moment, as I probably would be glued to the boob tube just as I was in the days following the World Trade Center tragedy.

Locally, we’re housing evacuees at our entertainment complex, the Ford Center, a much smaller version of the Houston Astrodome, and at various churches and church camps.  I had to go out to the Ford Center this past Saturday, as I hired some of the evacuees to help me with my move to my new house over the weekend.

As I walked through the Ford Center, what I overheard wasn’t despair over lost homes and possessions, although that was a great concern of many of the people housed there.  What I heard most often was lamenting the loss of pictures and mementos of special people and special times, as well as great concern about the location and well-being of family members.

And, what I saw in action was the goodness and kindness and compassion of Southeast Texans. So many of the evacuees have commented on the hospitality they have received here –guess that "friendly" thing we Texans are known for is well-deserved.   I think those of us who live here on the Texas Gulf coast realize that we’re just one hurricane away from our own New Orleans disaster, and we all hope and pray that should we find ourselves in the same situation, we would encounter kind, compassionate strangers to help us out.

No matter how much money you have or how many possessions you own, when a natural disaster strikes, we’re all reminded of the importance of basic, simple human pleasures. Kindness, compassion, and loved ones — isn’t that what life is really about in the end, anyhow?