March 4, 2011 - The Blog Epilogue - 29 Adar I, 5771

The Blog - How could I not speak about the blog?  It's perhaps an unusual item to reflect on for last week, but in my case its appropriate.  Google gives you all these fancy statistics about your blog  - how many hits, what people clicked on to get there, what country they live in, etc..  I have come to learn, that the number of hits is well over 600, or as we say in Cypress Tree planting land - "hundreds" - rising steadily throughout last week before leveling off this week.

I am not a writer - I never have been, but there was something quite therapeutic about writing this blog.  Reading all of the entries once I got home and being able to reflect back on the week, was, for me, the greatest reward of writing a blog, though I did not know it at that time.

It was comical at times during last week - I would post something before going to bed, head to the bunk house and find Andy on his bunk, lights out, except for a small iPhone screen reading the latest entry - especially after Ali started adding her insight and thoughts.

Many people look at this Katrina Relief trip as a rebuilding trip in a very physical sense - "We're going to rebuild the gulf coast by building homes" - or as we also do many times - demolition of existing physical structures to make way for new or renovated homes.  Yes, we do all of that, but what makes the trip so special, is that this trip is so much more about people than it is about any physical structure.

Its about Mac, Phillip, Mr. West, Lori, Cathy, some nursery school kids, and a guy Jay and I call "Jimmy L'Chaim" and so many others you meet in the areas you visit.  Its about the people you travel with - from getting to know people that you never knew that well before,  to the reinforcement of the life long bonds from previous Katrina Relief trips.

Thank you all for joining me on this wonderful journey....