Have a little hope

Here's a little something hopeful after a somewhat depressing (or it was for me) post. Michael and Amy Main have taken in a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina:

"At a shelter in Louisiana, [the Gomez family] witnessed a rape and a murder. One of their dogs drowned. The other one is presumed dead -- they saw her swimming back and forth between the house and a place of safety. She wasn't ready to give up her home. But the family couldn't coax her away so they had to leave her. They have a few clothes with them, but their bags were dragged through filth and muck and water. I'm sure we'll take some time to wash things and throw things out can't be salvaged.

"So far, they've been very open about what's happened so far. Not one tear has been shed (by them, at least... I've been crying off and on all day)."

In the aftermath of Katrina, as its airtime lessens, let's not forget that there are people whose lives will never be the same again; they may never return to the place they call "home." But let's also not forget that there are people with hearts big enough to open their homes to embrace these strangers in need.

***

I was blind, now I see
Chained to fear, now I'm free
I was blind, now I see
I wrote the book on apathy
But now I care about something

You can call me a fool
'Cause it's nothing I can prove
I just had to tell you

A million people try to find their way
Over coffee in this little cafe
Like the neon in the window
Some things will never change

Have a little hope on me
Nothing else in life is free
Have a little sweet release
This is everybody's cup of tea
I got lost one day in a saving grace
And there's more than enough for both of us
So grab yourself a window seat
And have some hope on me

I was lost and alone
I was naked, I was cold
I was deaf, now I hear
And the sound is so clear
Would you come with me to the symphony

Everybody's got to run away
Everybody's got to feel their way home
Everybody needs a reason to feel anything at all

In the moonlight
Under a neon sign
This could change your life

-- "Have a Little Hope" by Paul Alan (Click for sample clip)