Dear Classmates of 1980,

Today I received in the mail a card from those that attended the reunion. It was wonderful to see that you all have kept me and my family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time in our lives. I am even more humbled by your generous donation to help me out. I have always known that you all have been wonderful people but you all went above and beyond in helping my family out. I am forever thankful and will keep you all included in my thoughts and prayers.

I've never been good at writing down my feelings adequately so bear with me while I try my best! I am so thankful to have you all care so much. The last 3 months have been so very hard and with time and patience, it will get better. I am still displaced and not able to live in my house. I got about 4 1/2-5 feet of water in my house and lost every material possesion we owned (down to my children's pictures and videos—that is the thing that hurts the most! as you can't replace those). My yard was literally a forest of fallen trees having lost 72 trees total on my property. FEMA has promised me a trailer to live in so we can move back to Louisiana where I can put my kids back in school in their home town and I can oversee the huge task of rebuilding our home while living on our property in a trailer. To date, I've not received that trailer. I am still waiting on the insurance company to pay me as well. I am so very thankful that I took out a flood insurance policy even though it wasn't required.

The devastation in Slidell is just horrendous. Every house flooded, people having lost so much. I have been going back and forth from Kingwood, TX to Slidell, LA to take care of things like gutting my house, putting the ruined furniture, clothing, all our possesions out on the curb for FEMA to come pick up. It literally looks like a warzone in our town. I've been blessed in that a group of Mormon's from Kentucky came to my house and took down most of the trees on my property and put them out to the curb. I had been quoted between $10,000 to $22,000 (insurance doesn't cover fallen trees) to have all my trees cut and put to the curb by various tree companies, but these guys did it for nothing. I am forever grateful to them and in the process made some new friends.

As a single parent, raising 2 daughters and having gone through this ordeal, I am reminded of how precious life really is and thank God for all the good I have in my life and that includes ALL of you! I sincerely mean that. I keep saying that things could have been worse.

As some of you already know, my parents stayed behind for the hurricane and my mother wound up being hospitalized here in Texas for 3 1/2 weeks. While she is now out she's got a long way to go in recuperating. The doctors have found some things and now want to test her for possible cancer, so please keep her in your prayers. My parents lost everything too, and I've been taking care of them here in Texas as well as trying to take care of their house in Slidell. It will take at least a year to get back to normal, but we are hopeful that things will resume once again like before.

I wish I could have gone to the reunion and seen all of you. I had such great memories in high school and have a 16 year old daughter who's a junior in high school now. She's adjusted quite well considering she had to leave her old school and attend a new one. She's made some new friends and has been busy playing softball for a local travel team and will be playing for high school here in Kingwood, TX. I remind her that she's so lucky to have met some new friends, as high school was one of my favorite times, and the memories have stuck with me, and for her to have memories from two high schools is a blessing. My youngest, Paige, is 11, and in 6th grade and adjusted the best out of all of us I think. She's jumped right into competing at gymnastics (where a local gym extended her a full scholarship) and has done so well. She recently qualified for the Gold level at state and did wonderfully.

So, you see my dear friends, your prayers and thoughts HAVE come through as I see the smiles in my children and family having adjusted so well. I thank you for that and while words can never express my gratitude to you all I want you all to know I hold a special place in my heart for you. If ever I can do anything, please don't hesitate to call upon me. Once again thank you so much for your generous contribution! God bless you

Always,
Julie