Proud and Thankful

I had to drive to Jackson Saturday morning early. It was a little around 8 a.m. when I stopped at red light and was surrounded by bucket trucks loaded down with things and men from Mississippi Power. It brought tears to my eyes to realize that these men were already on the move to Texas or Louisiana. We all got on I -20 and headed west. I thought back to three short years ago when after almost two weeks of no power and how I felt when the men in bucket trucks from North Carolina looked like the Calvary when they rode into my neighborhood. I just wanted the men and their families from Mississippi Power to know that they were prayed over Saturday. They were prayed over for safety, clearness and focus of the jobs at hand and for their families' safety while they are away. I prayed for good rest when they get it and I prayed for the people wherever they were going to feel as I did when the North Carolina "Calvary" pulled in. To be thankful for them and express that. I passed many bucket trucks going and coming from Jackson this weekend and it just did my heart good to see them. We in Meridian and in Mississippi were on the receiving end of so much three years ago. It made me so proud to know "we" were giving back. Hurricane Ike could not have even passed the coastline of Texas very far Saturday morning when I saw Mississippi Power trucks on the road. I hope those people see those trucks and men and see the Mississippi Power logo and Meridian MS on the doors and are as thankful as we were three years ago. We truly are a giving people here, why? Because we have been given so much....Stephanie Denham, editorial assistant, The Meridian Star.

A sigh of relief...

Just like many of you, I went and stocked up on batteries, water and canned goods. Fortunately, Gustav was not anything like Katrina and that is a huge relief. We can handle the rain, just not in large amounts. Some of surrounding counties are still dealing with tornado warnings, hopefully those will end soon.

However, we are not out of the woods yet. There are at least two more storms out there and more expected to be named. So the items that you and I bought to be prepared for Gustav... keep them handy. You never know what path those storms are going to take. We all wish for the best with the upcoming storms and are very thankful for Gustav sparing this area. Don't let your guard down. It's better to be prepared for the worst than to not be prepared at all.

Joy Henson
393 Editor