March 4, 2011 - Trip Reflections by Andrea Einhorn

I been looking for that.

"I been looking for that." At some point, haven’t we all said that?

Over the years, we have learned that work sites are rarely what we expect. We went to Mr. West’s home to move his furniture into a storage pod so his duplex house could be repaired. He and his wife live in one side. The other has been vacant since Katrina. He hadn't actually been inside since his youngest son died there a few years earlier. When we removed the wooden plank covering the doorway, we followed a narrow path into the first room.  There was no furniture to be seen, because it was surrounded by plywood, beams, boxes, bags, and ironically, at least 30 doors.

Every time we removed something from the apartment--glassware, empty cans, trinkets, antifreeze jugs (full and empty)--Mr. West asked, "Whatcha got there, darlin?” almost always followed by “I been looking for that!" He often wanted things put into his apartment, which was also piled high on either side of a narrow path with all the other things he had to hold onto.

In our two days together, Mr. West told me many times about the intangible things he has holding onto: his career, home, military service, the son he lost. People recovering from Katrina face daily struggles of holding on and letting go as they rebuild. We provided Mr. West with the foundation he needed for reconstructing and moving on: physically with manual labor, and emotionally, with support, understanding, compassion. At some point, can’t we all say, “I been looking for that?”