Katrina and the Saints

I have never been much of a fair-weather fan. I have never let a boy tell me which team I was going to pull for. I have always been and forever will be a die hard South Carolina fan, a Atlanta Braves fan, and now a Saints fan.
I became a "semi" Saints fan after Katrina because my heart felt for people that I had never known. The next year I was a Saints fan. Even though I had fond memories of the Carolina Panthers, I just wasn't that into the NFL.
Over the past four years I got to know the people, that I thought I would never know. Over the past year I have gotten to know these people very well. Hearing stories of what my family, friends, and students went through four years ago will break the hardest heart.
The story of a newly married couple losing almost every memento of their wedding. A family coming back and standing where their house use to be. A student literally having to swim for his life because they flood waters were coming into quickly. A grandmother coming back to find the house where she was raised, her children were raised, and her grandchildren spent many years utterly destroyed. All pictures ruined and gone. Every special treasure washed away, home movies gone, life as you knew it of any concrete memory they ever once had gone in a matter of seconds.
When my family and friends came back to what all they once knew, to find it to be gone. They had one thing to hold on to, the Saints. These people for 43 years have dearly loved their Saints but after Katrina that love became a bond. The people of Southereasten Louisiana are bonded to THEIR Saints. The Saints were these people. Their home the Superdome became home to over 30,000 people after Katrina. But like many peoples home was badly damaged. The Dome had to be fixed the Saints had to be fixed, the people's lives had to be fixed.
As the city of New Orleans was being rebuilt so were the Saints. The Saints gave these people hope, the bright spot to their Sundays. Something to make it through the messy weeks, months, and years. As the Saints won they rejoiced and that week was made nicer. As the Saints lost it was "Bless You Boys" and "There's always next season."
The Saints rebuilt the with the people, as they fixed their houses so did the saints. As people thought they were getting back on their feet but then found out that contractors had left town and stuck them with sulfuric drywall. The saints felt that blow with losing.
But as this season progressed so did the people. When the Saints reached 5-0 the people were rejoicing because I think they saw them in each game winning their own personal battles. When the saints became 11-0, they said to themselves we can make it through this. Just like the saints these people have always kept going with a smile on their faces, you could never knock them down so much that they wouldn't get back up.
When the Saints won the NFC Championship last night I rejoiced with my family as they saw something happen that none of us have ever seen before. The Saints win the championship and go to the Superbowl. I cried for my family because here was what they have been waiting for since before the Storm and looked forward to with even more anticipation after the storm. As some sign that if the Saints can make it through we can too.
Yes last night there was yelling in the streets, fireworks everywhere, and a lines a mile long waiting to get their Championship Shirts. One person commented, "Do they know this isn't the superbowl?" Well yes they do but to them this was just like have a perfect season and winning the superbowl three times all in one night.
No state, area, city, or people deserve this win more than the people of Louisiana. Bless You Boys :-)