I can personally share in the joy that the city of New Orleans is celebrating with this history making event because I am a proud New Orleanian, exiled from the city that I love dearly by the ravaging flood waters of Hurricane Katrina. Although I no longer live in New Orleans, I am still connected to the people of New Orleans by virtue of my birth right. and today I can say to the New Orleans Saints loudly and proudly, “Bless You Boys!”
America, the Saints ain’t the Aint’s no more!
What this team has done for the people of New Orleans can only be fully realized by a native of New Orleans.
Unlike the news media images that you see of a recovering city that indicates that New Orleans is doing just fine, a twelve block walk in either direction away from the Central Business district will tell quite a different story. As you walk through neighborhoods that once were full of life, and not even see a bird in the sky it makes one wonder about the condition of the hearts of these strong and courageous people. Throughout the entire city, neighborhoods lie in ruin as though Katrina struck the city on yesterday.
Where do the people of New Orleans get their faith? Could it be that a special measure of faith mixed with endurance is served in the Gumbo that the city is known for? Or perhaps there is a supernatural magic embodied in the two words, “Who Dat” that have become synonymous with the Who Dat Nation. Whatever the secret to their faith is, it has kept their spirits high and their hearts unwavering.
In winning the Super Bowl, the Saints have done the impossible. Not only have they risen above the odds as a team to win the highest honors in the league, but in one swift victory, the Saints have brought unseen victories in the hearts of thousands of residents who have been in personal battles for almost five years.
When the residents of New Orleans look around their beloved city and see images of the uncanny reminders of a past life that sometime appear a big as monoliths, no doubt it brings an uneasiness that attacks the very core of their hope. It is difficult to hope when all you see is despair. But the New Orleans Saints have given the people of New Orleans a reason to smile.
So the next time your lamp of hope gets dim, just think of the Who Dat Nation who has endured and prevailed, and say, if even for the moment…
I Believe.
How ’bout them Saints
