Ribbon Cutting

Today we were able to experience a "ribbon cutting", which is a ceremony officially completing a project that turns over a house to the recipients. Today was also Veterans Day and the Secretary of Energy did some "mudding" and was able to see the ribbon cutting. He spoke along with others about the work that is occurring in New Orleans. One of those asked to speak was the home owner. I apologize for not remembering her name but she stated that she liked to sing and invited us all to sing the following:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!


What hit me in this song is the following: "America! America! God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood".

I have been working with the same family all week and have had the chance to get to know and love them. I am not going to get a chance to see their ribbon cutting which should occur in the next month and a half but I could imagine it with today's festivities. So much happiness and love and joy between everyone that one family is resurrected, all manifested in one song.

Today we had all of th St. Bernard Project staff and volunteers, the Secretary of Energy, United Way representatives, the home owners and veterans volunteering with St. Bernard Project and from the area celebrating the resurrection of a new home and family.

We are America; we are God blessed; we are a brotherhood; Today I saw God's work manifested in a single house, made real by a song. Tomorrow it will occur again by me picking up the paster, bucket, and mud and continuing that work which I am called. Whether we are working in Gods master plan for New Orleans or in Cincinnati or Youngstown or abroad; we are all God's children, one brotherhood, doing our best from sae to shining sea.