My husband, Kirby, and I met 18 years ago in Houma when I relocated from New Orleans (18 months before Hurricane Katrina) to open a small business after
graduating from UNO. At the time, I was struggling with my Catholic faith and feeling disconnected from my Church community. I remember telling friends and family that “Life was just too busy to find a new church family and God knows my heart.” The next year was filled with struggles, both worldly and spiritual. When we were expecting our son Dylan, a dear friend gifted a beautifully adorned Bible to me, with an inscription that touched me so deeply, I had no choice but to begin reading that Bible as if it were the first time. Christmas brought legitimate snow to South Louisiana, and we vowed to make the next year amazing!
On Dylan’s first birthday, September 1, 2005, we were evacuated due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Both of our small businesses were shut down, with very little additional funds reserved to provide for our family. Kirby has always had a passion and talent for cooking, and joined a few groups of men preparing and serving meals. I helped a new friend gather items to donate for women and children. While working together, I asked if she would share which church she attended since so many lost everything or knew someone else who had and were there giving openly, freely and joyfully.
We spent the next 12 years as active parishioners of St. Bernadette Catholic Church, a vibrant, faithful and active community and school. During that time, we also welcomed our daughter Abby, who attended school there through 5th grade. Flooding in and around Denham Springs in 2016 brought my son and me to assist gutting the home of a total stranger, whose husband's name just so happened to be Kirby, and her favorite Bible gifted by a friend was left undamaged! When Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston and surrounding areas in 2017, Abby and Dylan came up with an idea to help and launched “Loaded with Love,” collecting donations to fill over 300 bags of necessities delivered through St. Bernadette and Catholic Charities.
Never could we have imagined that Dylan, now 13,
would be the catalyst to bring usall back to New Orleans. His dedication to academic excellence secured him an opportunity to attend Jesuit High School in an accelerated honors curriculum. Prepare to take a deep breath here ~ we loved our school, church and bayou community so much we drove from Houma to New Orleans every day (twice) for him to attend school. Some days began at 3:30am and ended at 11:00pm! He often said “I feel I am being called here.” I remember thinking that was awesome, but I’m not feeling it. Lots of car devotionals and family prayers followed and we realized we had to make tough choices and big changes.
There we were again, searching for a new church family and none of us were happy about it! We toured schools, lots of schools. We attended Mass at various churches hoping to feel some sort of connection. In New Orleans, you know everyone has strong opinions about schools and churches and neighborhoods and hurricanes. We chose to settle in Old Metairie, and enrolled Abby at St. Catherine of Siena School. From the moment we stepped into church and school here, we felt incredibly welcomed. Abby was able to continue as an Altar Server, Dylan attended CYO events and we began making wonderful new friends. Still, there was a part of me that kept questioning God for all these BIG changes, uncertainty, risks, etc. Stress and doubt began to take over even before the pandemic hit, and I found myself skipping Mass and not praying as much as I needed to. I will admit I was a bit angry about it all. I forgot to mention that Kirby now works in Saudi Arabia on a monthly rotating schedule, and both children are very active in sports and extracurricular activities. I’m sure every parent can relate to the ridiculous schedules of our often too busy lives.
Enter the global pandemic, homeschooling, devastated economy and yes multiple hurricanes. I can’t remember if it was an email or online post regarding Hurricane Laura Relief Efforts, I just remember an overwhelming feeling that I absolutely had to do this! So I signed up for a few shifts, picked up a few cases of baby wipes and showed up. Then again, then again, then I signed up to head to Lake Charles with a team to deliver supplies and serve meals. That morning I prayed, like really prayed for everyone struggling right now, for safety, for grace, for healing and connection.
The ride to
Lake Charles included a car full of strangers, that I now consider friends. A sweet Lake Charles resident, physically handicapped due to diabetes, spent the entire day with us since she had no electricity, food or help. During conversations with her, I remembered all the times in my life the Holy Spirit was present in a helper. As a child, I was taught to always look for the helpers and aspire to be one. The day was filled with His hand, car after car, meal container after meal container. In the middle of one of our busiest moments, I just stopped and looked around and said to myself “I totally get it God! This is exactly where I am meant to be. My struggles, my doubts, my questioning Your plan...You were bringing me HERE! St. Catherine is truly a community Ablaze with Love. This IS HOME”
Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”