postaweek2012 /Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.
~Michael Bridge

These are the hands of my good friend.  We spent five days mudding and sanding drywall in a home devastated by Katrina in New Orleans.

Even wearing heavy work  gloves didn’t stop the drywall dust from coating our hands.

My friend’s hands at work, spreading the love in New Orleans.

Thanks for viewing my post today.  This is a special one for me.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

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Water Dragon Weekly Sunday Post: Work

Work.   “Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.”

There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.
~Henry Ford

 

Our church mission team went to New Orleans in 2010 and 2011 to help with the ongoing efforts to rebuild homes after Katrina.   Over those two years, we worked on four homes and a daycare center.  It was immensely satisfying work.  It was especially  gratifying when we met the homeowners and families, the daycare center director, teachers and adorable children, who benefitted from the work we did.  They were so thankful and excited to have the work progress.

I have three photos from one home we worked on.  Three friends and I spent the entire week sanding and re-mudding the daughter’s bedroom.   A shady contractor had done a terrible drywall job, leaving 1/4″- 1/2″ thick, lumpy drywall mud in places in the home;  then left with the homeowner’s money without finishing the work to repair the entire home.

 This photo shows my friend applying new drywall mud after we’d sanded the entire bedroom and patched many places the previous contractor had not.
The homeowner showed us where the water level from Katrina came well above the window sill.   The family had slept in this, their new home, only one night before Katrina hit and they had to evacuate.

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In this photo you can see my friends in the background and me (foreground), sanding drywall.

Drywall dustbowl!

In the photo below, my friends are chiseling and chopping mortar off bricks and then stacking them for reuse.

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For a week I did some of the hardest physical work I’ve ever done.   I feel very blessed to be able to help those in need in New Orleans.

Thanks for viewing…

Judy
All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Guest Blogger today…..come visit me!

Today I’m a guest blogger on The Authentic Me‘s blog.

The topic is for this month’s WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH.
The title of my piece is: From the Eyes of a Six Year Old.  

Please come read my story.

Click HERE for  The Authentic Me’s blog.

Thanks, Judy

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual

In an unusual image, a cargo ship slips quietly by New Orleans on the Mississippi River, shrouded in fog.

Synonyms for UNUSUAL~off-beat, curious, funny, odd, uncustomary, unique, weird, rare

Cargo ship gliding by New Orleans, shrouded in fog.

 

Have a great weekend!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.