Oh Happy Day!

I was listening to the MSU radio station yesterday and they played "Oh Happy Day" sung by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and I couldn't help but smile and sing a long, I even fought the urge to raise my hands to the heavens.  The gospel hit reached #3 on the Billboard charts.  For some reason I think that is amazing.  I don't care what race or religion you are, that song has got to bring you joy!

It's funny how something as simple as an old gospel song can get you thinking; something once sung by the saddest and most brutally treated slaves as a redemption song.  Yesterday was a beautiful day, sun shining, birds chirping getting unexpected packages in the mail sort of day and to hear such an uplofting song on the radio only helped it to seem like something i almost didn't deserve.  But then to turn on the news and see the projected destruction in the for of Hurricane Isaac headed this way snapped me into reality.  It made me think of 7 years ago when I heard the name Katrina and had no idea how I would grow to loathe that name, that word, that connotation.  I had many around me directly influenced and everyone indirectly influenced by that terrific storm.  It makes me think of the lyrics to Oh Happy Day, "when Jesus washed, he washed my sins away." What a beautiful opportunity Katrina gave us! An opportunity to wash our sins away! To rebuild an entire coastal habitat spanning 3 states into a lesson learned from our past.

My professor, Taze, said just this morning he will be interested to see how the coast handles this new hurricane.  It may all turn out to be just a big hype over a storm with low winds that will drop lots of slowly falling, annoying rain.  How obnoxious would the weather channel find that?! No juicy story here folks, just some rain.  I feel as though as a society we crave the big exciting disasters.  I know I do! It's like Jennifer Garner admits in the movie Catch and Release, I'm a little upset when there is a low death toll in "natural disasters."  There are forest fires and storms for a reason, and if you are dumb enough to get in the way...  Don't get me wrong, I am not a sadistic person, I just thing with western Medicines achievements and high tech wars, there has to be something that steps in to help with population control.

That said, I will try to get back to my original train of thought being that I look forward to seeing if we have learned anything about smart building and planning in the last 7 years.

In this very MSU Landscape Architecture Department I worked on a habitat for humanity/ coastal restoration project with Mr. Felder Rushing where we discussed trees and materials and ways to shield houses to protect from wind and water.  I wonder if any of that ever came to be or if like most conversations had with in these walls they were simple dreams of well wishers who are making a difference one isolated project at a time or it that information was heard and applied and may prove successful.

Stay Tuned...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2D6eter7M
Enjoy this link to Oh Happy Day!!! Hope it makes you smile like it did for me!!