A funeral and a roof raising

Today was a day that had been anticipated for quite some time. We had some professional helpers come over to set up the roof rafters after we finished the ceiling joists yesterday. And yes that is the first time I've ever used rafters and joists in the same sentence and actually knew what I was talking about! It felt almost like a barn raising. There were a lot of extra helpers and a flurry of activity.

What made it seem even more like a barn raising (not that I've actually been to one, mind you) was all the extra activity going on across the street. There were lots of cars parked on the road and the yard, kids running around, families gathering and bringing food into the house. It was the poignant combination of quiet respect and the sounds of a family reunion, a funeral luncheon for the woman of the house who passed away a few days ago. It was a perfect illustration of life in the Lower Ninth ward, where the signs of death as well as life live together side by side.

Hope is not crushed by death. The gathering of families and friends  coming together to celebrate a life brings a legacy into full view. Life continues, the green grass sneaks up between the dormant thatch, and neighborhoods that were destroyed are coming back one house at a time, one roof at a time.

Fred Robinson, the man we're building the house for, said it best today. He has some difficulty walking, and in the parking lot of the lumber yard this afternoon, he took my arm and said, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint". Hope lives on.