Mississippi after Katrina - and the limitations of our imagination

The other night I had dinner with a friend of mine who lives in Biloxi.  We communed about the hurricane and its aftermath.  He invited me to come see the devastation in his area, and told me that I "couldn't imagine what it was like."  Those are words that now get my attention.  I have learned how inadequate my imagination is.  The Katrina disaster is just not something that one can comprehend by reading newspapers or weblogs, or by watching TV video clips. I have to face the truth: I lack the ability to comprehend the scope of this disaster.  I realize that almost every day, even though I'm living in the midst of it.

This story is a shadowy glimpse of what happened on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.  One day soon I'm going to go visit my friend and see the horrible devastation first hand. Then I'll have a slightly better understanding.   But I won't be able to see the people who have had their lives altered forever, the people who have resigned their home and moved away.  I am realizing slowly that I will never adequately understand how devastating this storm was.  No matter how hard I try.