Where to Now?

"Where to now?" was the original question this site was designed to address. We learned that that question was premature. Most of the "new citizens" of Salt Lake are still dealing with clothing (since most left with literally nothing except the clothes on their backs), employment, and adjusting to a new, and somewhat foreign environment. Since these issues will take some time to work out for each person or family, it might be useful to begin asking, "How do I handle the here and now?"

First is accepting the reality that what existed before will most probably never be the same again! Even if some of us return, New Orleans will be a totally different place as it rebuilds itself. It will be a new city with people who have experienced a life-changing trauma. In fact, there may be people moving there who have never lived there before. The New Orleans we knew, no longer exists. Friends we have known since birth will never be in our lives again. Foods we have taken for granted will not be available. We are living in a new reality!

With that said, we need to begin asking, "What are the opportunities in Utah?" I can assure all of us, there are many. It's funny how life works, the instant we accept the reality we have, rather than the one we imagine from the past, events and opportunities start to move in our favor. The support services available start to become meaningful and we create an empowering relationship. The quote from the Bible has relevance here, "The Lord helps those who help themselves."

People feel better about supporting people who want to create their own success. An empowering attitude does not focus on all the things that no longer exist, but looking for the new opportunities that do. Most, if not all, attending the Utah Support Group are self-determined individuals as are most I have not met. The point is, it's time we began accepting Utah as our temporary or permanent home and seek out opportunities that fulfill a dream that might not have been possible in New Orleans in the past.

This blog obviously applies to all of us, even if we are not displaced from New Orleans! If we examine our own lives, we may also have urealistic expectations of what we should have as compared to the effort and commitment we are willing to put in. This level of commitment usually requires us to experience a transformation much like the transformation of those displaced from New Orleans and Texas. It requires us to confront our own self-limitations built into our belief structures and expectations of what the world owes us.

So, the question we face as hosts is, "Are we willing to resolve our own issues in starting a new life as those displaced are forced to?" If so, we get to see what it's really like to walk in someone else's moccasins. Such an experience has the power to redefine our lives and project us into a whole new reality of what we can achieve.

Perhaps, Nature is trying to teach us all something if we have the humility to recognize that we are not as wise as we pretend to be. Particularly, if we are looking to scientific proofs to feel secure in our understanding of what's going on! The mass events we are experiencing are clearly beyond our scientific understanding. There are no experts in how and why earth events are occurring.

Let me know your thoughts. Support Group meeting Friday, 7:00 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church. Be there! Empowerment is the theme.