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My journey this week takes me to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Hurricane Katrina and the life of Vera McGuire.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Jan. 20 celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Its traditions are rooted in the idea of promoting equal rights for all, regardless of their background.
A lady in my Sunday school class commented, “I believe the life of Martin Luther king Jr. is a message from God.”
Honestly, his birthday always reminds me of Hurricane Katrina. The recorded death count is still debated, anywhere from 1,200 to 1,800 — but they were disproportionately African American.
Hurricane Katrina was a category five hurricane that made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005. It caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Subsequent flooding, caused largely as a result of fatal engineering flaws in the flood protection system — known as levees — precipitated most of the loss of life. Survivors are still scattered all over.
In San Marcos, I especially remember the leadership of the Crystal River Inn owners Mike and Cathy Dillon, and their selfless love ministry to a large group of refugees.
But mostly I remember Vera McGuire, a flood victim. Fleeing from the approaching hurricane, she fled to her brothers home in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I thought I would return home in a week or so — turned out to be one and a half years,” McGuire said.
Her daughter Andrea, who lived in Dripping Springs, located an apartment in San Marcos at Stone Brook for her. Dolores Crittendon, the director of the local Salvation Army, called me on that Nov. 14, 2005 with a request to meet Vera at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport. Tony Garza, Rudy Pittman, Gerald Brown and myself complied.
She arrived and it seemed like she brought a breath of fresh air with her — all optimism with a strong spirit.
Not an ordinary person, Vera McGuire was a woman that was a nonprofit director, secretary and treasurer, an employee of the school district and still found time to volunteer at a local nursing home as an interface between patients and state regulations.
She made making adjustments to a new environment look easy. She could eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive and made the best out of a difficult situation.
McGuire’s life verse is:
“I can do everything through him that gives me strength.” Phillipians 4:13
At age 86, Sister Vera Mc-Guire is still in charge, drives, and is a voracious reader.
Succumbing to the desire of her family and some health issues, McGuire plans on moving back to Texas, based on her positive experience before.
