My husband and I were like so many other unfortunate residents of Baton Rouge whose homes were flooded. In August, we returned from vacation to find that our home had flooded and was uninhabitable. We had only recently relocated to my beautiful home state of Louisiana in December. After only eight months of living in our new home, it was so difficult to see it damaged by the flood waters. We were fortunate that some of our personal items could be salvaged and our home could be gutted, cleaned, and remodeled, but that would take time.
In the meantime, having a place to live was a worry we shared with so many others. Fortunately, we have family in Baton Rouge so we were able to move in with our 24-year-old daughter, who was more than happy to open her home up to us. We were living with her in her one-bedroom apartment, and needless to say, it was quite cramped quarters and only one bathroom between three adults. She is also a full-time student, so schedules constantly conflicted and someone was often disturbed while trying to sleep, eat, cook, unwind, etc. Although she has been the most gracious host, my husband and I felt we definitely were interrupting her busy schedule and "cramping her style" so to speak.
I was talking to a few co-workers about our new living arrangements. A nurse named Magen called me later and told me she felt she wanted to contribute to helping out with flood victims. Magen offered me and my husband her home indefinitely. After discussing it, we accepted her offer and are now able to feel less cramped and imposing. Magen's home is close to ours so it is a short commute for us to go work on repairs. It is also so much less of a commute from downtown Baton Rouge to my job. Magen's generosity and kindness are overwhelming to us. Because of her offer, we feel a little less "homeless". It is because of people like Magen that this horrible disaster has been much easier to begin to work through to regain normalcy in our lives. I am forever grateful and thankful to Magen for the love and support she has extended to us and others. It is during these tougher times that we discover we are surrounded by heroes, and we are more inclined to see those shining stars. Magen is definitely shining brightly.