Home Fires

I didn't know the two young couples that were on tonight's Trading Spaces: Katrina Kindness. But I know that they are representative of the hope that exists among the so many who lost everything here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

My heart was breaking when they showed the few scraps that had been salvaged from their demolished homes: a piece of granite from the kitchen, an end table, a mirror, and other bits and pieces. But through it all, the wonderful smiles of the couples, friends and neighbors, and the crews of Trading Spaces.

The delight and tears as the couples walked in and saw a small part of their lives had been set right. In each case, a living room re-done, new furniture, and new kitchen appliances. You could still see in other rooms the blank sheetrock that had been put up in the past 6 months.

I don't think I'll ever forget as the second couple walked in to see the changes and it wasn't until later the wife realized she was walking on a wooden floor instead of the concrete she had grown accustomed too. If this show is rescheduled, please watch it. It's a tale of two families but it's representative of the 68,000 homeowners whose homes in Mississippi were destroyed outright and the further 30,000 whose homes had to be torn down because the damage was so great.

It captures the spirit of us in towns such as Waveland, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian and other cities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Smiles through the pain of rebuilding shattered lives. Neighbors helping out neighbors. Friends spending long hours helping repaint and rebuild.