Today is the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  The picture above is Q and I at our home for the first time after the storm.  He's walking in his bedroom.

We're stronger today.

On this day, I won't watch the news.  We're spending the day framing photographs to hang on the walls.  For the first time since our home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was reduced to a slab, I am going to frame family photos and hang them on the walls of this house.  As though this is our home and these are our things.

As though we plan to stay here.  As though we have the guts to make a plan, in the face of Mother Nature and God and all that is holy.

We are happy.
I am terrified.

Don't read this post aloud lest the gods hear you.

Everything I have to say, I've said before.

I'll be hammering nails with a fury today.

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A woman on the front porch of the Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, hollered to her departing friend, “Tell your mama an’ ‘em I said ‘Hey!’”

God, I love living on the Gulf Coast.

On the twenty minute drive east back to Gulfport, my habitual scanning of the water paid off:  a pod of dolphins swam yards from the shoreline.  I made a U-turn and parked my decade-old white Volvo wagon next to a large white van surrounded by a meandering oil spill clean-up crew.  I hardly glanced at the workers as I got out of the car, keeping my eyes trained on the dolphins.

The workers braced a little as I approached them, then relaxed as I strode right passed.

“Well, look at that,” he said to no one in particular.  One of the workers followed my undivided gaze and found the pod.  Yes, look at that.  Four adult dolphins and what appeared to be a juvenile, swimming satisfyingly slowly within what felt like arm’s reach of me and a small crew of men hired to remove all evidence of Man’s assault on the Gulf of Mexico.

I straddled a surreal reality as I watched that enchanting pod of dolphins, ancient and pure, alongside men dressed in bright yellow hazard gear.   We stood together on the beach within one football field of where my home was reduced to a slab of concrete five years ago in Hurricane Katrina.

I stopped in my tracks as I returned to my car, realizing where I was.  I looked to my feet, knowing they and my entire body would have been under water in this spot that day.  Wondered if our photographs might have floated over this point of land.  Dreamed for a moment that if I dug deep enough, could I find a piece of me?

God, I love living on the Gulf Coast.  But Lordy, is it ever complicated.

You ask us why we stay.  Why we remain here when we know damn well that hurricane season will threaten our foundation every year.  The Gulf that we love so fiercely, that feeds our culture and economy, is the very thing that feeds the fury of storms and provides passage for dangers we never imagined.

The act of staying is an act of defiance, to be sure.

The act of staying is an act of love.  A passion of pride. 
The act of staying is an act of hope.

Hope Remains.

On this fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I am once again joining Tide Loads of Hope to celebrate the resilience and progress of the Gulf Coast.  This year, though, we’re prepared to kick it up a notch:

Ya’ll. Tide Loads of Hope is throwing a hurricane party with Faith Hill!

As the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina nears, Tide will host a live concert on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 in New Orleans featuring Faith Hill. Tide Loads of Hope Presents: A Celebration of Hope with Faith Hill will serve to honor the resilient spirit of Gulf Coast residents and demonstrate Tide Loads of Hope’s ongoing commitment to New Orleans.

The concert will be free for residents of New Orleans and the surrounding area to celebrate how far the community has come in its rebuilding efforts since Katrina.

Gulf Coast residents will have the chance to win free tickets to see Faith perform live on August 24th at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, an iconic New Orleans performing arts center, which was recently rebuilt after closing its doors following Hurricane Katrina. Tickets will be distributed through local radio stations in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, LA; Biloxi, MS; Lafayette, LA; and Jackson, MS areas.

This, people, is how you celebrate a milestone.  Particularly the truly battered ones.  You throw a party.  You look disaster in the eye and then you offer it a wink and a drink.  While standing in a fountain and wearing your white shrimp boots.

Or perhaps while dancing down the middle of a city street, waving your hankie and throwing beads to the poor souls on the sidewalk…  because did I mention that the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is opening for Faith?  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Are we gluttons for punishment?  I definitely think we have the “gluttons” part right.  Lavish love of culture is why we remain here on the coast.

And I’m willing to bet my beignets that lavish love of culture is why you harbor an inexplicable loyalty to your home, too.

Beginning Wednesday, Story Bleed Magazine will host Hope Remains, a blog carnival sponsored by Tide Loads of Hope, reaffirming persistent hope for and passionate loyalty to the Gulf Coast.  That big surprise I mentioned last month?  I rebranded Blog Nosh Magazine as Story Bleed and have honed our focus to one simple challenge:

Find yourself where stories blur the lines.

Where stories blur the lines between cultures, in point.  Our story is your story.  The cause that fuels Tide Loads of Hope is one that bleeds north from New Orleans and encompasses your home as well as it does ours in the South.

No area of our nation is immune to disaster.

After tornado winds dissipate, hope remains.  After fire ash settles, hope remains.  After earthquake-ravaged ground stills, hope remains.

After flood waters subside, hope remains.

Tide Loads of Hope remains committed to answering your call when the simplest of human needs are threatened, wherever you are.

Join me as we celebrate resilience and bring hope to New Orleans with fellow Mississippi girl Faith Hill at the breathtaking Mahalia Jackson theater.  Follow me on twitter for updates from the event on Tuesday, August 24.

Live in the New Orleans area? You can win tickets to the Tide Loads of Hope Faith Hill concert by listening to the following local radio stations:

WNOE  -  (101.1  New Orleans)
WLMG – (101.9  New Orleans)
WYNK – (101.5  Baton Rouge)
WYPY – (100.7  Baton Rouge)
KRVE – (96.1  Baton Rouge)
WTQT-FM  (94.9  Baton Rouge)
KMDL – (97.3  Lafayette)
WJKK – (98.7  Jackson)
WUSJ –  (96.3  Jackson)
WZKX – (107.9  Biloxi)

Distinctly absent of sweet tea and crawfish boils? Join us at Story Bleed beginning Wednesday for the Hope Remains carnival and tell us what makes you dig in then kick up your heels out of love for your own culture.

Can you imagine what it would be like to lose not only your home, but also your community touchstones?  Imagine if your library disappeared, along with your grocery stores and hospitals and churches and parks and favorite restaurants?  Everything you call home.  How might you react?  What would you miss?  How would you respond?

Down here?  We dug in our heels, got our hands dirty, and remained.  And now we’re ready to celebrate our progress.

Because through it all, hope remains.  And ya’ll, so do we.

Tell your mama an’ ‘em I said, “Hey!”

***

About Tide Loads of Hope:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tide recognized that in times of disaster, people turn to the most basic human needs, like clean clothes.  Ironically, clean clothes aren’t possible when you don’t have power or access to safe water.

Within weeks of Katrina’s landfall, Tide arrived in New Orleans with their Loads of Hope truck,  a unit housing 32 energy-efficient washers and dryers capable of completing 300 loads of laundry a day, and began meeting one of those needs of residents grasping at hope.  Relief workers, first responders, and individuals in areas affected are able to drop off their laundry to be washed, dried, and folded by the Tide Loads of Hope team, free of charge.

To date, Tide has washed over 36,000 loads of laundry for more than 27,000 families.

For more information about our sponsor Tide Loads of Hope or to purchase a Tide Loads of Hope vintage t-shirt, please visit www.tideloadsofhope.com.

The profits from the sale of the Tide Loads of Hope tees benefit families affected by disaster.

Interact with Tide Loads of Hope at www.facebook.com/Tide.  
Follow them on twitter @TideLoadsofHope

Related posts:

on Hurricane Katrina
on Tide Loads of Hope
from the Gulf Coast Disaster Series

Anticipation is a thrilling tease of a beast.  After a month-long pseudo-vacation, I stand at the edge of one of my busiest months of the year.  This August, in particular, promises to be breathtaking.

You are watching me take a deep breath.  Now let’s dive in.

BlogHer is this week! BlogHer is an annual blogging conference, though that little word “blogging” doesn’t do it justice.  It is a celebration of women in all platforms of social media and is one of my favorite events.  Nearly two thousand women will meet in New York and prod the ground for places to break through.

Thursday night, the night before BlogHer, I co-host The People’s Party with four of my friends on the grounds of the conference.  From 7pm – 10pm, join me and co-hosts Jessica from Oh the Joys!, Katie from Motherbumper, Janet from IzzyMom, and Jenny from The Bloggess as we raise our fists in righteous exaltation of The People!

The People’s Party is designed for the people, by the people.  It began as our answer to “Did you get invited to Super Secret Hush Hush 100-Guests-Max Private Party?”

Easily one of the largest non-invite blogger-organized events of the year, always hosted on-site for easy “throw your bag in the room and drop in'” access, we will happily play host to more than 1200 guests in a laid-back landing pad atmosphere with much ice-breaking in mind.

And no, we will not have swag this year.  Pass it on.  Why not?  Swag is supposed to be a thank-you to generous party sponsors.  The party itself is the gift for the guests.  That message became a bit muddled at some private parties last year and, well, we can’t be bothered.  I sort of love that about us.

I love this party.  I also love to point out that the first year I co-hosted it was the first year I ever attended BlogHer.  If I remember correctly, it was my first conference ever.  So don’t give me any of this “I’m a newbie” crap as an excuse to not dive right in.

BlogHer is what you make of it.  I make a party and celebrate my community.

Viva La People!

The rest of my agenda will revolve almost exclusively around the official BlogHer schedule.  Although I almost religiously decline private party invitations, I am dropping into a couple of private events this year, with reason.

Find me:

Thursday

Bloganthropy Awards, Thursday evening:  I am one of five finalists for the Bloganthropy Awards this year!

The Bloganthropy Awards recognize bloggers who have made a difference by using social media effectively to promote a good cause.  “We are thrilled to partner with Bloganthropy to recognize bloggers who have channeled their passion and commitment to worthy causes through social media,” says Stephanie Azzarone, president, Child’s Play Communications. “It is inspirational to see their dedication and influence.”

“Bloganthropy.org’s goal is to encourage bloggers to use their social media influence to make the world a better place. We seek to amplify their efforts by promoting their projects and connecting them with corporate sponsors,” says Debbie Bookstaber, co-founder of Bloganthropy.org.

Recognized for the use of my platforms to promote projects such as Tide Loads of Hope or my recent campaign with Pepperidge Farm that resulted in a donation equivalent to 70,000 meals for Feeding America, I am simply honored.  I am also distinctly out of place.

The other nominees are Kristine McCormick for Cora’s Story, Katherine Stone for Postpartum Progress, Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz for Violence Unsilenced,  and Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, Pam Mandel and Beth Whitman for Passports With Purpose.  Each of those amazing platforms are dedicated to their causes.  Literally.

I’m dedicated to exploring the nooks in my own velveteen mind.  This is a personal blog.  It’s very much The Megan Show.  Although I may write about hurricanes and oil spills, I more frequently write about books and my attitude about other people’s attitudes.  At any moment I could start writing single-mindedly about vampire shows on HBO.  So, yeah, let’s just say I’m honored to stand among these women and leave it at that.  I am honored.

Social Luxe Lounge, Thursday evening:  I’ll be one of the “VIPs” presenting the BlogLuxe Awards at the Social Luxe Lounge.  I squirreled my schedule around so I can pop in and present Funniest Blog with Heather Spohr and Christine Koh just before I jet off to finish set-up for The People’s Party.

I reworked my schedule because the women behind Social Luxe Lounge went out of their way to be respectful of the established People’s Party timeframe last year.

There are an impossible number of private parties before and during BlogHer and I wield a wicked attitude about those that conflict with the official conference schedule.  Granted, The People’s Party is on the official schedule this year, but this attitude is well-seated.  Social Luxe is one of the few private events that makes an effort to respect the established schedule.  (Which is, after all, the only reason these thousands of women are in town in the first place.  Spotlight-hungry brands?  Show some respect.)

The 4th Annual People’s Party, Thursday 7pm- 10pm:  Sold you on this above.

Friday

All official schedule and events, possibly after-schedule drop-ins.

Saturday

Mindful Monetization panel, Saturday 1:30pm: I am full of opinions and they love to be amplified via a microphone.  Come to our Mindful Monetization panel and watch us tread the choppy waters of how to make money from your platforms while staying true to your values.  Someone will probably ask about being paid for doing reviews and I’ll inevitably snap my fingers and say, “I have zero tolerance for the ‘Why not me?  This isn’t fair!’ set.”  This panel is a combination of a few pitched panels, including one of my own that was subtitled “A Cage Match Between Your Personal and Professional Blogging Ambitions.”  I wanted to wear silk shorts and robe but I think I was outvoted.

Sparklecorn, Saturday 8pm- 11pm:  The only party to which I RSVP’d for Saturday night.  I know my limits.  Last year I draped an over-the-top 80’s plastic charm necklace across my hugely pregnant self, in keeping with their theme.  This year I am 80% sure I want to dress up like a Jersey girl a la Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jerseylicious.  Who’s with me?  If I could, I’d have my hair and makeup done at The Gatsby Salon in Jersey, that honey hole of Jersey style.

And that’s it.  Other than dropping into a few places on Thursday, I’m limiting myself to generally one event a night.  BlogHer works for me because I keep it simple.  I refuse to become intimidated or overwhelmed and it works.

This was a lot to cram into one post, but I gave myself a lot of room last month and now have a lot of material to cover this week.  I haven’t even mentioned the best part of this week and I’m afraid you’ll have to either track me down at BlogHer or come back here at the end of the week to find out my big news.

Track me down at BlogHer and I’ll hand you my big news.

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