Sunday, September 25, 2005
Listen to Grisham About The Spirit of the Gulf
The Gulf Will Rise Again - New York Times: "Those who've lost everything have nothing to give but their courage and sweat, and there is an abundance of both along the coast these days. At a school in the small town of De Lisle, the superintendent, who's living in the parking lot, gives a quick tour of the gymnasium, which is now a makeshift food dispensary where everything is free and volunteers hurriedly unpack supplies. Two nearby schools have vanished, so in three weeks she plans to open doors to any student who can get to her school. Temporary trailers have been ordered and she hopes they're on the way. Ninety-five percent of her teachers are homeless but nonetheless eager to return to the classrooms.
Though she is uncertain where she'll find the money to pay the teachers, rent the trailers and buy gas for the buses, she and her staff are excited about reopening. It's important for her students to touch and feel something normal. She's lost her home, but her primary concern is for the children. 'Could you send us some books?' she asks me. Choking back tears, my wife and I say, 'Yes, we certainly could.'...When William Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize in 1950, he said, in part: "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion, sacrifice and endurance."
Today, Faulkner would find in his native state a resilient spirit that is amazing to behold. The people here will sacrifice and give and give until one day this storm will be behind them, and they will look back, like their parents and grandparents, and quietly say, "We prevailed."
John Grisham is the author, most recently, of "The Broker."
Hey, this author is a good writer. :) No, really this was a great piece, and perfectly representative of the kinds of things we have seen on the news. Add to that the guy from Houston I met on a conference call recently. He had been working at the Astrodome trying to help the evacuees. Donating time and money as well as helping start a charity. Then he had to evacuate Houston in preparation for a Hurricane (Rita) of his own. There was another Houstonian that the news covered. He was a Morgan Stanley guy (I think it was Morgan Stanley.). He was working at the Astrodome overnight, going home, showering, going to work, and then going back to the dome in the afternoon. Most of us need sleep, but everyone should be impressed by anyone who gives that much to anyone, especially strangers. These are two small stories in a sea of generosity, heroism, kindness, and heart. It is the saddest way to be reminded of what it truly is to be American.
Though she is uncertain where she'll find the money to pay the teachers, rent the trailers and buy gas for the buses, she and her staff are excited about reopening. It's important for her students to touch and feel something normal. She's lost her home, but her primary concern is for the children. 'Could you send us some books?' she asks me. Choking back tears, my wife and I say, 'Yes, we certainly could.'...When William Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize in 1950, he said, in part: "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion, sacrifice and endurance."
Today, Faulkner would find in his native state a resilient spirit that is amazing to behold. The people here will sacrifice and give and give until one day this storm will be behind them, and they will look back, like their parents and grandparents, and quietly say, "We prevailed."
John Grisham is the author, most recently, of "The Broker."
Hey, this author is a good writer. :) No, really this was a great piece, and perfectly representative of the kinds of things we have seen on the news. Add to that the guy from Houston I met on a conference call recently. He had been working at the Astrodome trying to help the evacuees. Donating time and money as well as helping start a charity. Then he had to evacuate Houston in preparation for a Hurricane (Rita) of his own. There was another Houstonian that the news covered. He was a Morgan Stanley guy (I think it was Morgan Stanley.). He was working at the Astrodome overnight, going home, showering, going to work, and then going back to the dome in the afternoon. Most of us need sleep, but everyone should be impressed by anyone who gives that much to anyone, especially strangers. These are two small stories in a sea of generosity, heroism, kindness, and heart. It is the saddest way to be reminded of what it truly is to be American.
