There is no greater feeling of helplessness when you know your friends and neighbors are under duress, you see it on the news, and you're completely powerless to do anything about it. It happened on 9/11, and it happened for me again during Katrina. It happened last summer when I saw the waters rise in my home town.

Sadly, it happened again last night on the parade route for the Krewe of Endymion in New Orleans as a  seemingly out of control car plowed through the crowd watching the parade.  Among those hurt was a three-year-old child. The horror.  So many families gathered to watch this parade because it's one of the most lavish and celebrity-packed.  It was one of the first big parades I went to, where I saw Roy Orbison not long before his untimely passing.

When I woke up this morning and started watching CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley, it was the lead story.

Honestly, there's nothing any of us can do but pray. Thankfully, it appears no one was killed, and even the little baby is doing better than expected in the hospital. It's a miracle.

At the same time, I was reminded of recent victims of a major tornado in the area. Each of those involved in this parade accident will recover; the same cannot be said for those involved in this weather event. If you feel compelled to give because of what happened last night, it might be better served in a donation for another cause. Read all about it at the website of the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

As I mentioned before, the fine people of Bell County and Temple/Belton have adopted me very quickly as one of their own. Every time something happens back home, the fine folks in central Texas always ask how my people are doing. I can tell you, with zero hesitation, those sentiments mean more than you could even imagine. The prayers you say for my family and my friends are returned and then some.

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