Somehow over the past 49 years we have witness many hurricanes along the Gulf Coast and Houston, my hometown. I remember hurricane Carla and Betsey as the devastating ones causing great damage but no lost of life. Today is the fourth year since hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Mostly by causing breaks in the walls holding back the water.

As we sat and watched on TV the people struggle to free themselves from the water by going to their roof tops to await rescue, my father in law had already passed while being moved to higher ground from one of the nursing homes about 4am when my wife got the call. He was one of the first to die prior to land fall of the hurricane itself about 8am August 29 four years ago.

He was a stroke survivor but blinded and not able to speak very much. We all have a life to live after surviving a stroke but sometimes it can be down right hard to do.

His body was not found until February, six months later. I housed 28 people of my wife's family in a 4 bedroom house including use of the garage which I turned into a makeshift bedroom, Somehow we all made it and many of them were able to return to New Orleans, their birth place and where most of them decided they wanted to be no matter what and would die there including her mom. My wife's daughter and grand daughter is still with us. The grand daughter was born august 17TH of that year.

So it's back and forth to that city because her mom is not in the best of health like she was 12 years ago when I first met her. I mentioned the handicap aspect of that city but it still has a ways to go in total recovery and getting the people to return. Some still don't have housing rebuilt in the hardest hit areas. I could never live there, I like Texas too well. Mind you I have lived all over the world while in the Army moving about every 3 years. I always return to Texas.

I have an ex wife in California and one in Alabama. I retired from the Army in Georgia but returned to Houston Texas where my first wife and two kids were. She passed in 1998. I ended up married to my present wife from New Orleans but living in Killeen Texas right at Fort Hood, the military base where many troops leave but all don't make it back to their families.

We are all here in this cyber Stroke Support Community in support of each other. We laugh together, we cry together but most of all we pray together and for each other all the time. It's something about prayer that makes life really worth living when the chips are down. That's my case at present due to my slow down in my ability to do what I been doing for so long. I guess I have to re accept my condition and continue to move forward.

It's real hard to be yourself when your ability leaves you standing alone. Anyway I will not be as active as I once was on the board due to appointments starting Monday in the mental department. Right now I am confused and can't seem to figure it all out. Life is what it is and how you live it to the fullest.

I can see, almost feel each survivor here in what they must be facing in their recovery process. Especially when the progress seem to stop and they go downhill. I hope to be back soon! Not every day! I don't Blog often and when I recover a little bit I will return!!

Keep me and my wife Marion in your prayers my friends! I'll do the same for you all! God knows us best!! :yadayada: