My Corner of the Bayou

You might see our little corner of the bayou as you drive on down to Grand Isle Beach.  You might drive through as you head to work.  The winding road along the bayou is peaceful and serene.  The patina coated boats, bridges and buildings tell of a time when things were a lot simpler.  Merely a glimpse is not enough though to tell you the stories this little area has.  We have had some rough times, some tragic moments, some dark days where there seemed to be little to no hope.  I can't say that sometimes I didn't cry myself to sleep over some of the events and happenings in this little Cajun community. Yet this area has something so powerful, so beautiful that a hurricane, tornado, shooting, death or the devil can't take away and that is:

WE RISE!! 

 

Wherever your faith lies, wherever your heart is ... there is always hope, always the beauty of life that was given to us.  If even just for a moment, life can be fulfilling.  And though the road may be paved with dirt, our feet blistered and sore, the roots of the past breaking through the surface as obstacles - the journey we take is one we can only learn, prosper and grow from.

Life has been full of obstacles for my little corner of the bayou to overcome, but something you might not see on your afternoon drive is our will to rise, to live and move forward.  Recently, a young man was involved in a tragic incident that has shaken the community.  Though some have risen in anger, many rose in prayer and poured love over the families affected as they have each and every time something has happened.  See we don't just ball up and give up hope, we rise!  We rise to the occasion and pray together, love together and show up together.  It is engraved into our souls, it is how our ancestors did as well in our little corner of the bayou.

So, next time you are driving through my corner of the bayou or through a small town or even a big city ponder the stories and the obstacles so many have overcome and you just might find strength you didn't know you had to push you through your own obstacles.  The courage to take on another day and move forward, scrubbing the dirt from beneath your nails, tending to the blisters your journey has given you and walking over and past the roots of the past to face the road ahead of you.  The one that you were meant to lead, the one you were meant to fall, the one you were meant to rise back up on.

So I leave you with this:  my favorite poet/author/actress Maya Angelou's famous poem And Still I Rise: