Hurricane Katrina

Original art -created especially for this blog by
JudithParsonsart@gmail.com

Hurricane Katrina happened on my fathers birthday, Aug 29th. I remember the darkness and the suffocating heat like it was yesterday. I didn't have to break out of my attic nor swim in waters where the spiders and ants covered your head, because they were trying to escape the same waters you were trying to escape. However, it flung me far into wild winds of change so that I was never the same again.

We had no elderly parent in a nursing home to rescue.  I cringe now at the atrocities that were done to the old and feeble. Without technology they were doomed. Nothing to keep them alive. The doctors did what they thought was humane.

My children were 10 and 12, they were trying to put on a brave face like the rest of us. The night was so black and heavy. It weighted upon us like a wet warm wool blanket. The only light in the whole wide world blinked from the top of an energy system radar tower. We couldn't open our eyes up wide enough. Certainly there had to be a flash of light, another soul out there like us-looking for the light. My daughter, son and I stared at the blinking light for hours waiting for the sun to rise.

The hurricane changed EVERYTHING. It took away my sailboat, my home and me. It ripped away and torn a rip in the fabric of me. It made me a nomad. I am still a nomad- trying to find my roots that the hurricane tore so effortlessly away.

I created this art-this ladder of hurricanes over a two day period. I let it be built slowly. The swirls are the symbol for both the hurricane and the age old powerful symbol of the dance. The swirling dervish is a dance that spins the dancer so he/she enters the divine enlightened transcendent realm. Any questions can be answered in this state.

The ladder in the illustration has steps which we climb in life. We go up 5 and back down 2 and we keep going up the steps of life. It is what we do. We move forward, we stumble, we fall and we keep moving forward. The opposite of movement is stagnating and algae. One can decide to move or not move. It is all about choices.

I have made many horrible choices since Katrina. I can not blame my bad choices upon a hurricane. I own those choices. I sigh- I look at those bad choices as lessons. And God willing I will learn from those bad choices. However, I have made a few GREAT choices. (smiling) And Thank the good Lord those choices will still be around and have a chance to grow some roots.

I raise my glass to hurricane Katrina. If you lived through it, like I did and you are still around to raise your glass then let us "CHEERS" to life! (clinking imaginary glasses together) If you lived through hurricane Katrina and are not around, then I pray for you and hope there is a party in heaven celebrating your life!

Live life like it is an adventure!!  Celebrate this holiday by grilling with a bar-b-que  and smile knowing that it is a choice to cook meat upon the grill…not something you HAVE to do- because you lost electricity and have to eat all the meat in the freezer.

I miss my Louisiana friends!! (group hug) I love you!! 

Louisiana friends- if you would like a print of the cool illustration..email me: JudithParsonsArt@gmail.com