There are no words...

I used to live in Biloxi, MS. A lifetime ago, when I was young and newly-married.

We only lived two blocks from the Gulf. In one of several little cottages that formed a semi-circle on the back of the property of the main house. Mrs. Runfalo was a sweet lady who rented them out to us financially-challenged Air Force couples for a real fair price.

We used to walk down to the beach and fish off of the dock. We used makeshift gear because we didn't have the money to buy the real thing. One time the guys got real lucky and caught a huge red carp; it was so big the kitty could crawl in its mouth. They sold it to the hotel right there on the beach. I forget the name of it but it was a major hotel. They included it on their dinner menu that night. The few extra dollars they paid us was nice.

As I watch the coverage of the aftermath of Katrina, I'm stunned by the devastation. Our little cottage, the beautiful big house, the dock, the hotel... the whole damn city. The ruin is incomprehensible... it's gone, it's all gone. Nothing but a pile of rubble.

My thoughts and prayers are with our southern countrymen... my heart breaks for your irreplaceable losses and damaged lives.