Here’s what you are saying…
Re: Errol’s Commentary on 1/29
I thought this article was truly inspiring and captured the sentiments of a lot of N’Awlins natives, even myself. I now live in Grapevine, TX close to Dallas, but my home and heart is still in New Orleans/Metairie. After 55 years it is hard to start over again somewhere else, and I will probably never really fit in anywhere else, except heaven. We are not of this world.
But I do wish the very best for my home town and state and hope that the government and politicians start doing right by Louisiana and Mississippi and get our levees up to par and try and give some sense of security to the people who are brave enough to return and try to make a go of it again. May God bless the efforts of honest individuals that want better for our city New Orleans, our state Louisiana, and our nation Unites States of America.
Amen
Patricia (Trish) Miceli
Irving, Texas
Re: Errol’s Commentary on 1/29
What a great article written by Mrs. Poche about our Saints season. How many of us feel the same way? Just reading the article made me reflect back to the Monday Night Atlanta game and the tears that were brought to my eyes as well watching the game and the great people of New Orleans. I was in Chicago on retreat for the first round of playoff games and it was a tough task explaining to the Religious Sisters whom I was staying with why the Bears had to loose and what that would mean to the City of New Orleans. How important it was that the Saints won, not just for the New Orleans Saints football team but for the whole City of New Orleans, for our economic development and the well being of our citizens. I kept asking the Sisters, “What self respecting sista would cheer for a Bear over a Saint?” When an elderly Sister piped up with, “Well, a Bear is one of God’s creatures!” And I said, “But we are talking Saints here, you would cheer for a Bear over a Saint? Wait till you get to the Pearly Gates and St. Peter asks you who you cheered for?” We had a lot of fun
but I am still getting sympathy cards for our loss.
Thanks Michele for taking the time to write and express so many of our
feelings.
Joy Manthey
Re: Errol’s Commentary on 1/29
Hello,
I completely agree with Michele. I live in Chalmette, and my home, family and all around life was also devastated by Hurricane Katrina. My little house got 6′ of water. We, much like many of my neighbors, didn’t have flood insurance, at the time. I do thank God for the SBA, without them I would not have been able to rebuild my home. We moved back into the house on Thanksgiving weekend and thought all was right with the world.
Regardless of the two mortgage notes and endless bills. On December 21, 2006, just 5 days shy of Christmas, a terrible 3 day long rain storm, and even more terrible drainage systems, flooded my little house again with 6″ of rain water for 12 hours. Yes, it is devastating again, but we have flood insurance this time!! We lost the battle of drying out the house before the mold took over again. We have had to move out again and gut to rebuild from the 4′ mark down. Our brand new cabinets, appliances, etc.
But I digress.
Through all of this, I too became a brand new football fan, thanks in whole, to OUR SAINTS! I too was one of those people who also went to family football parties just because we were invited, and I ran out of excuses not to go! My husband was never a fan of sports, he’d rather be fishing. But he now proudly wears a Saints ball cap everyday. Even still. The Saints gave us HOPE, something that we lost more and more of every day this past year and a half. They gave us something to look forward to.
Complete strangers were stopping in public to high five other complete strangers, simply because they had on the same Saints T-Shirt. We found ourselves congregating on broken down street corners and talking about something other than “how much water did you get” and “where’d your momma and them wind up”. We were a community again with a joint feeling of pride again. Everyone says that the Saints didn’t make it this year and “oh well, we’ve got next year” but I truly believe that they made it, they made it all the way! In my heart they are winners to the bones!
I too, have no idea of all the rules, points, flags, downs, and what-nots that make up a football game. Don’t need to. All I need to know is that on game day, my family is together again, no matter where we are. And we are wearing Black and Gold on our bodies and in our hearts!
Of everything that was taken away from us, of all the ways all of our lives were effected, THIS, this one thing that these few athletes, players, coaches, even that little man that holds the water bottles, gave us back it’s HOPE!
It cannot be said enough, BLESS YOU BOYS! And Thank You. Thank you from
the bottom of our wet little hearts.
Angel Alfonso Shepherd
Chalmette, LA FOREVER!!!
Re: Errol’s Commentary on 1/29
I loved the article about the converted Saints fan. I think everyone in NO and even the rest of the country can appreciate her conversion to fan this season. The Saints made the city proud in 2006.
Dana
