"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".
--Michelangelo
Last February 2011, hubby and I took a trip back to New Orleans and the
Gulf Coast of Mississippi for the first time since Katrina hit August 29, 2005.
We were told a story that captured my heart:
100 years ago a member of the DeMontluzin family saved an Oak tree
when the road was going through Bay St. Louis, MS.
When Katrina hit, three people were able to cling to this particular
oak tree for 3 hours during the worst of the hurricane.
The tree died after the storm
but
the three people were saved!
The three survivors asked Dayle Lewis, a chain-saw artist from Indiana, to carved the
angels that watched over them, instead of having the tree destroyed.
On the night we heard this story, we had planned to leave the next morning.
We changed our plans and stayed another two days so I could capture this "angel tree"
and carvings done by three different people up and down the Gulf Coast of MS,
after Hurricane Katrina killed the beautiful Oak Trees.
Psalm 91:11
first saved it from the road going through all those 100 years ago.
The artist has been told often how much joy and spirit the beautiful carvings have
given to Bay St. Louis and have become a symbol of comeback in Southern Mississippi.
I love Bay St. Louis, and the warm hearted, courageous people who stayed and rebuilt.
Tomorrow I am sharing another chain-saw artist's work in Waveland, MS, which is the
sister city to Bay St. Louis.
From my heart to yours, may your day be blessed.
Lynn
8 comments:
The Angel tree is beautiful!
Thank you for sharing.
How very beautiful and touching! :D
Hugs,
I had not heard this wonderful story before! I am so glad you went and gt these great images to show us! an amazing story!!! And I am so glad they carved this and didn't cut it down.
I am in awe. Somehow God led me here today, Lynn. I was going over my older posts and ran into The Island of Silence, which you commented on a while back. And here I am.
This is too beautiful for words. I think I'll simply look at it for a while, in silence.
Thank you for sharing.
Added you to my sidebar blogroll to visit more often.
Much love.
When I lived in New Orleans back in the '80's, we would go to the Mississippi beach at Bay St. Louis quite often in the summer... It was such a beautiful area. I have not been back since Katrina..
That Angel tree is awesome. I'm sorry that the tree died--but it did help save some lives. That is awesome. The artist did a great job.
Hugs,
Betsy
How incredibly awesome is that tree....wow
Hello I hope your doing well. I was able to visit our 3rd son for 9 days in Oklahoma and loved being able to do that. I'm so looking forward to the warmer weaather. Angels I LOVE..cant get enough of them and dont have enough of them lol...I told my grandaughter last night-they watch over my cancer! I think she believed me.
Oh my goodness, so lovely!
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