Five years ago tomorrow Hurricane Katrina roared inland, and when it had passed our lives were changed forever.

Some things are better; some things are worse. But we weathered the storm on Aug. 29, 2005, and tomorow, Aug. 29, 2010, we are continuing to weather its aftermath, and continuing to recover.

In many instances, we are thriving.

Population figures in the River Parishes rose as New Orleans residents settled here. Many have gone back in the years since the storm, but the population boost brought with it more commerce and more tax dollars.

But there are those who still suffer. Many areas, especially in the city, are still recovering. And week after week, day after day, we see sites and landmarks that will never be the same as they were.

This weekend is a time of remembrance, of reflection. It will be marked with ceremonies and prayer services. People will gather around their neighborhoods and around workplace water coolers to talk about that fateful day.

Where were you when Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005? Where you evacuated, in a shelter or in your home hunkered down waiting for the storm to pass? Where were you when the water rose, when Hurricane Katrina became the worst natural disaster in America’s history?

Those questions are still being asked five years later, and the answers will not be forgotten as more anniversaries pass us by. The grief will pass, but the memories will never fade.

The River Parishes were spared the brunt of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath, but our residents suffered, nonetheless. And the road home has been a long one for many, and some are not there yet.

We must continue to support each other. We must continue to remember the kindness of strangers and strive to pay that kindness forward each and every day.

Five years have passed since we feared for our lives in the wake of and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We must never forget that fear, but we also must never forget the courage we had to overcome the obstacles in the years that followed.