Last night, my youngest daughter called me and asked for my advice! Wow! What a great feeling that was! You have to understand this is the same child that didn't want anything to do with her parents when she was in high school. That is probably an exageration but you get the picture. So this was a moment. A moment when I had her undivided attention and because she wanted me to share my thoughts with her. It was also a very sobering moment. A moment in time when what I said could have potential bad outcome or good outcome.
The best part of it all was the realization that my parenting days have not ended. I know when she went off to college and the other daughter married and has a family of her own, I felt somewhat lost. It seemed everyone had a job, but me. My job had ended. I knew in my head that my job never ends, but in my heart, I felt lonely and sad. I needed to be needed. Even though we had our troubles when Mindy was in high school, she was still home and needed me. I knew and she knew it. But when she went off to college and she grew up, all of the sudden my job was over, or at least it felt over for a time.
So you see why it was important for me last night to connect with her. I am so proud of Mindy. Actually, I am so very proud of both my girls. My oldest daughter is a school nurse and is the best mother of two precious girls. Her choice in a mate is wonderful and we love Paul like a son, not a son-in-law. And then there is Mindy. She is so beautiful and poised and mature. She has a heart for God and people. I love to hear her talk of her studies and what she is learning and how she plans for the future to help those who can't seem to help themselves. She is beautiful in and out. She has plans, but the wonderful part is she relies totally on the Lord. She is moving to Missouri in January and although she has made some connections for looking for a place to live, that is still up in the air. I worry how she is going to make it and where she will live. She has every confidence in the Lord that it will all work out and be great. I love that about her. She knows whose she is and I am thankful she has the father to place her confidence in.
So.......the words, "mother, I need your advice...." have a special place in my heart today as I rehearse the words we spoke and the advice that I gave her. She is special and I love her. Thank you God for my special girls......all of them!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
INSURANCE!!!!
Well, our insurance adjuster was just here. We have minimal damage. And the insurance coverage does not cover our kitchen floor, because it was a power outage not within the confines of our home. In other words, the power outage was caused by outside causes, not our lines. Go figure! I thought that would be covered, but any way, since it is not covered, then our freezer, the floor in the laundry room, the kitchen floor are not covered. The food was covered but we have a large deductible and it was only about 350.00 worth of food lost. We did have minimal damage on the roof, not much, just the northeast corner and she marked that. We had fences down and they cover that with the wind damage coverage we have, but again due to our deductible, no coverage.
So....the bottom line, we didn't have enough damage to go over our deductible. I guess that is good news and bad news at the same time. I was so hoping to have enough to cover the floor, at least. We will live with it, but it is damaged. Tollie says we will get an estimate and see what it will cost to replace those pieces. We have been told you can pop out the laminate flooring and replace them, with the right person doing it. So we will see about that.
Rita left a lot of damage in a lot of homes and I should feel very thankful and lucky that we have no more damage than we have. I guess right now I am feeling a little cheated. Don't ask me why! I really don't know. It is just a feeling and I can't explain it.
Thankfully, we have had money from FEMA and the Red Cross and that will help cover some of this damage. I don't want to be greedy. Actually, the amount we received from them covers the deductible, so if we had had a lot of damage, it would have been great. I am thankful!
Life continues on in Beaumont. We have had a lot of damage and I think you can feel that when you try to find a place to eat out. There are so many restaurants still closed and many running on low staff with minimal menus. They were saying on the news this morning that many employers are struggling in their businesses because people have not returned to their jobs. They are unsure what is causing this, if people are still evacuated or just didn't return. It will be interesting in the next few weeks to see if more return. If they don't return, believe me the jobs are open here. If you need a job, come on down and I think you would be able to get a good job easily.
Our adjuster was saying that Orange really had a lot of damage, but you never heard much about it on the news. She said they never had the military coverage that Beaumont had and yet there was no looting going on. I thought that said something good about Orange! I think there are a lot of smaller towns that are in the same boat as Orange. They had major losses but the news didn't cover them. In fact the news is still covering Katrina, even now. I guess it is the storm of the year.
How about those Astros! Yeah, I hope they make it into the World Series. That would be exciting. It was a good game last night. I don't usually watch baseball, but I watched last night and enjoyed it. I think it is more fun to be there, but was a good game. Go Stros!!!!
So....the bottom line, we didn't have enough damage to go over our deductible. I guess that is good news and bad news at the same time. I was so hoping to have enough to cover the floor, at least. We will live with it, but it is damaged. Tollie says we will get an estimate and see what it will cost to replace those pieces. We have been told you can pop out the laminate flooring and replace them, with the right person doing it. So we will see about that.
Rita left a lot of damage in a lot of homes and I should feel very thankful and lucky that we have no more damage than we have. I guess right now I am feeling a little cheated. Don't ask me why! I really don't know. It is just a feeling and I can't explain it.
Thankfully, we have had money from FEMA and the Red Cross and that will help cover some of this damage. I don't want to be greedy. Actually, the amount we received from them covers the deductible, so if we had had a lot of damage, it would have been great. I am thankful!
Life continues on in Beaumont. We have had a lot of damage and I think you can feel that when you try to find a place to eat out. There are so many restaurants still closed and many running on low staff with minimal menus. They were saying on the news this morning that many employers are struggling in their businesses because people have not returned to their jobs. They are unsure what is causing this, if people are still evacuated or just didn't return. It will be interesting in the next few weeks to see if more return. If they don't return, believe me the jobs are open here. If you need a job, come on down and I think you would be able to get a good job easily.
Our adjuster was saying that Orange really had a lot of damage, but you never heard much about it on the news. She said they never had the military coverage that Beaumont had and yet there was no looting going on. I thought that said something good about Orange! I think there are a lot of smaller towns that are in the same boat as Orange. They had major losses but the news didn't cover them. In fact the news is still covering Katrina, even now. I guess it is the storm of the year.
How about those Astros! Yeah, I hope they make it into the World Series. That would be exciting. It was a good game last night. I don't usually watch baseball, but I watched last night and enjoyed it. I think it is more fun to be there, but was a good game. Go Stros!!!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
NEW JOB
I have a new job this week. I went to work yesterday and as you can imagine, all sorts of things are happening. It is still a process of trying to gear up to work and everyone is a little overwhelmed at what has happened and how long it is taking to get things back to normal. I am trying to do whatever needs to be done and just be there for who ever needs me.
The parts person who took my job when I retired is going to be out for two more weeks. It was asked of my boss if I could fill in for her. He made a resounding no because he had already given me a job to do this week. I am the official cook for lunch for the next three days. Wow! Getting paid for what I love to do......cook. I started immediately thinking of the menus and doing a shopping list.
I went yesterday afternoon and got the groceries for the chicken and sausage gumbo for today, the Hot Chicken Salad and hot yeast rolls for tomorrow and the potatoes for the Potatoe soup for Friday. I am excited and my boss certainly is excited.
I have the gumbo stewing in the large pot right as I type this. I can smell it throughout the house. I started the potatoe salad last night and will finish it up in a minute. (I didn't know people ate potatoe salad with their gumbo until recently!) I need to get a fresh lemon pie made. We came home from Rita with one of the lemon trees intact with three large lemons still hanging on and yellow! So....I will make a couple of lemon pies for those few of us lucky enough to eat them. I am feeding about 25 people. It will be a long, but very fun day.
Are you able to get paid for what you love to do? I hope so. Have a great day!
The parts person who took my job when I retired is going to be out for two more weeks. It was asked of my boss if I could fill in for her. He made a resounding no because he had already given me a job to do this week. I am the official cook for lunch for the next three days. Wow! Getting paid for what I love to do......cook. I started immediately thinking of the menus and doing a shopping list.
I went yesterday afternoon and got the groceries for the chicken and sausage gumbo for today, the Hot Chicken Salad and hot yeast rolls for tomorrow and the potatoes for the Potatoe soup for Friday. I am excited and my boss certainly is excited.
I have the gumbo stewing in the large pot right as I type this. I can smell it throughout the house. I started the potatoe salad last night and will finish it up in a minute. (I didn't know people ate potatoe salad with their gumbo until recently!) I need to get a fresh lemon pie made. We came home from Rita with one of the lemon trees intact with three large lemons still hanging on and yellow! So....I will make a couple of lemon pies for those few of us lucky enough to eat them. I am feeding about 25 people. It will be a long, but very fun day.
Are you able to get paid for what you love to do? I hope so. Have a great day!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
NORMALCY
There is something to be said for normalcy. Even though the kids are staying with us, Jamie is trying to keep the girls on a normal routine, as much as possible. She is getting them up in the morning and getting them to their daycare, even though she is not working yet. Her school should resume next Monday.
I didn't do much yesterday, other than picking up, making my bed and cooking supper and shopping for groceries, which is pretty much what I do on Monday's. So, things are slowly getting back to normal. I know that kids mostly do better on normal routine and it makes sense that probably most of us require normal routine to function well.
Today, I go back to work. It will be interesting to see what that unfolds. I am part-time and my boss is not back to Beaumont, yet. They just got their electricity back yesterday. So, I am going to do my own thing and interview people to find out what their adventure was during this hurricane process. It will be interesting to find out what others did and how they coped and where they went. I will then put together a newsletter to distribute to the company for everyone to see what happened to our "family". I think my boss will like the idea as well.
Life in Beaumont is slowly returning back to normal, as well. A lot of the resturants are opening and trash is picked up today! Yeah! That has been horrible. Every time you walk outside the smell hits you from all the freezer and refrigerator food! That will be a really good thing.
Is is wrong for us to have a normal routine in our spiritual life? I know we can get in a rut in everyday life when we go through the same routine all the time. So, do we get in a rut in our spiritual life as well? It has made me wonder if normalcy in our spiritual life is good or if we need to keep things stirred up to keep our relationships fresh and not so much in a rut. I would like to hear your thoughts. Have a great day, blogworld! I plan to.
I didn't do much yesterday, other than picking up, making my bed and cooking supper and shopping for groceries, which is pretty much what I do on Monday's. So, things are slowly getting back to normal. I know that kids mostly do better on normal routine and it makes sense that probably most of us require normal routine to function well.
Today, I go back to work. It will be interesting to see what that unfolds. I am part-time and my boss is not back to Beaumont, yet. They just got their electricity back yesterday. So, I am going to do my own thing and interview people to find out what their adventure was during this hurricane process. It will be interesting to find out what others did and how they coped and where they went. I will then put together a newsletter to distribute to the company for everyone to see what happened to our "family". I think my boss will like the idea as well.
Life in Beaumont is slowly returning back to normal, as well. A lot of the resturants are opening and trash is picked up today! Yeah! That has been horrible. Every time you walk outside the smell hits you from all the freezer and refrigerator food! That will be a really good thing.
Is is wrong for us to have a normal routine in our spiritual life? I know we can get in a rut in everyday life when we go through the same routine all the time. So, do we get in a rut in our spiritual life as well? It has made me wonder if normalcy in our spiritual life is good or if we need to keep things stirred up to keep our relationships fresh and not so much in a rut. I would like to hear your thoughts. Have a great day, blogworld! I plan to.
Monday, October 10, 2005
HOME AT LAST
Two weeks and two days ago, Rita paid a visit to our home. I left on September 22, thinking it would be my last time to walk out the front door of my home. It is a hard thing to do and I had packed all the things that I thought I could not live without. Pictures, pictures and more pictures. Picture albums, pictures framed taken from the walls. I had packed sentimental items, such as the quilt Tollie's grandmother made for us when we married. The four delicate glass bowls I had found at a flea market that called my name. The girl's baby dolls they had when they were infants. Things that money could not replace, time could not replace and actually it was very little.
The first time we evaucated back in the 1980's, we drove three vehicles piled high with pictures and momentums. Of course there were four of us then so naturally we had more stuff. But this time, it was different. I guess my priorities have changed! I walked through the house for two days trying to decide what to take and what to leave. It was hard and eventually, I just couldn't make any more decisions. I had all that I could handle and it was harder than I ever thought it would be. But at least now I know that my family and the memories we have made mean a lot more than my "stuff". I walked away from my house, really thinking it would not be habital after the storm.
But Rita had other ideas. She moved just enough east to give us her good side. There were still 120 mph sustained winds. I can't even imagine staying in a house with wind that strong! And there was some damage, mostly fences down, power lines down, trees and trees and more trees down but not one shingle was lost from our roof, at least that we can see. We are having it inspected to make sure, but we believe we came out of all this relatively unscathed. We did have some floor damage in the laundry room and the kitchen when the freezer and refrigerator leaked water. We will see what insurance will do about that and the fences and the food we lost.
What have I learned from Rita? Stuff is stuff and the important thing is to know that people are more important than any stuff. I have also learned there are all kinds of people out there. There are some really strange and weird people. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to stay in the midst of such strong, unpredictable weather! I know that I have a lot, God has blessed us immensely and I know that I am not as thankful as I should be. I will leave when another hurricane decides to visit us, no matter the size! It is just not worth the risks of staying and riding out the storm.
I have also learned that being home is really comforting. We were so blessed to be at my sister's house for a few days, worshiping with them on Sunday. They were so gracious to us and it was comforting to be with family. We then went to a lake cabin that really soothed my soul. It was quiet and I could walk in the woods and think and work on my projects and be isolated from all the news. I think that was good.!?! But most of all it made me appreciate Tollie's employer so much. They have taken such good care of us and we are most thankful. I appreciate so much our home and am ready to take better care of it and use more to the service of God. I know I have become lazy and selfish in how I use my time and my home and I want to do better with that.
The kids are with us at this time. Their apartment was damaged by flooding water and they are displaced as they fix it. It is good to have the kids here, especially the grand kids. They are so cute and I love that Ashton climbs in bed with me in the morning and loves on me. They are precious children. Emma is a hoot and I love her strength and laughter.
Thank you God for all that you do for me and my family, the way you have protected us and helped us through this difficult time. Thank you for your love and care with people who have been so good to us. Thank you for our jobs and the people that provide work for us. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
The first time we evaucated back in the 1980's, we drove three vehicles piled high with pictures and momentums. Of course there were four of us then so naturally we had more stuff. But this time, it was different. I guess my priorities have changed! I walked through the house for two days trying to decide what to take and what to leave. It was hard and eventually, I just couldn't make any more decisions. I had all that I could handle and it was harder than I ever thought it would be. But at least now I know that my family and the memories we have made mean a lot more than my "stuff". I walked away from my house, really thinking it would not be habital after the storm.
But Rita had other ideas. She moved just enough east to give us her good side. There were still 120 mph sustained winds. I can't even imagine staying in a house with wind that strong! And there was some damage, mostly fences down, power lines down, trees and trees and more trees down but not one shingle was lost from our roof, at least that we can see. We are having it inspected to make sure, but we believe we came out of all this relatively unscathed. We did have some floor damage in the laundry room and the kitchen when the freezer and refrigerator leaked water. We will see what insurance will do about that and the fences and the food we lost.
What have I learned from Rita? Stuff is stuff and the important thing is to know that people are more important than any stuff. I have also learned there are all kinds of people out there. There are some really strange and weird people. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to stay in the midst of such strong, unpredictable weather! I know that I have a lot, God has blessed us immensely and I know that I am not as thankful as I should be. I will leave when another hurricane decides to visit us, no matter the size! It is just not worth the risks of staying and riding out the storm.
I have also learned that being home is really comforting. We were so blessed to be at my sister's house for a few days, worshiping with them on Sunday. They were so gracious to us and it was comforting to be with family. We then went to a lake cabin that really soothed my soul. It was quiet and I could walk in the woods and think and work on my projects and be isolated from all the news. I think that was good.!?! But most of all it made me appreciate Tollie's employer so much. They have taken such good care of us and we are most thankful. I appreciate so much our home and am ready to take better care of it and use more to the service of God. I know I have become lazy and selfish in how I use my time and my home and I want to do better with that.
The kids are with us at this time. Their apartment was damaged by flooding water and they are displaced as they fix it. It is good to have the kids here, especially the grand kids. They are so cute and I love that Ashton climbs in bed with me in the morning and loves on me. They are precious children. Emma is a hoot and I love her strength and laughter.
Thank you God for all that you do for me and my family, the way you have protected us and helped us through this difficult time. Thank you for your love and care with people who have been so good to us. Thank you for our jobs and the people that provide work for us. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
God's Grace
God's grace is glorious. I can't tell you how blessed we are and we are so thankful to God and his mercy. We have fared so well in this crisis. I can't say our emotions have fared that well, but when we realize how fortunate we have been, we are thankful. That eases our emotions.
I know we are ready to go home. Isn't it just like us. We don't want to be home, going on vacation, but when we can't go home, we want to be home.
Tollie is at our house in Beaumont as I am writing this. He flew from Tyler to Beaumont on a private plane with four other men from the dealership. He is at our house and walking through, checking things out. Seems the only problem is the kitchen floor that buckled when the refrigerator freezer thawed and leaked out the water. It will probably have to be replaced. But that is all. The tree that fell in the backyard, took with it some landscape lights and concrete pathway, but only lifting them up. He stated that the tree root stands about 8 feet in the air. Our lemon tree, one of them anyway, survived, even keeping the heavy lemons on them and they are now turning yellow.
He stated that leaves are plastered on the front of the house. It will have to be cleaned. But all the furniture we left on the front porch is okay. No windows broken, no problems on the outside. We will probably have someone inspect the roof just to make sure there is no damage.
I can't thank God often enough for all the blessings.
We are staying now in Tyler and living at this point in a cabin at Whispering Pines. It is an RV resort just north of Tyler, about 14 miles. We have a deck we can sit and watch the beauty of God's kingdom. It looks like we will be staying there for the duration of our time away from home. Well, someone has to do it! Again, we are thankful for God's Goodness. The company is picking up the tab and we are thankful for that as well.
I miss my kids, my grandkids. Hopefully they can come see us this weekend.
I may not be able to post for several days as we have no connection in the country. Only here in town at the dealership.
I came today to put out the word for employees to have a contact number for their paychecks. The company is paying everyone! They have insurance for this kind of thing. Thank you, God, again for your great mercies.
Take care and Rita will not keep this ole gal down long!
I know we are ready to go home. Isn't it just like us. We don't want to be home, going on vacation, but when we can't go home, we want to be home.
Tollie is at our house in Beaumont as I am writing this. He flew from Tyler to Beaumont on a private plane with four other men from the dealership. He is at our house and walking through, checking things out. Seems the only problem is the kitchen floor that buckled when the refrigerator freezer thawed and leaked out the water. It will probably have to be replaced. But that is all. The tree that fell in the backyard, took with it some landscape lights and concrete pathway, but only lifting them up. He stated that the tree root stands about 8 feet in the air. Our lemon tree, one of them anyway, survived, even keeping the heavy lemons on them and they are now turning yellow.
He stated that leaves are plastered on the front of the house. It will have to be cleaned. But all the furniture we left on the front porch is okay. No windows broken, no problems on the outside. We will probably have someone inspect the roof just to make sure there is no damage.
I can't thank God often enough for all the blessings.
We are staying now in Tyler and living at this point in a cabin at Whispering Pines. It is an RV resort just north of Tyler, about 14 miles. We have a deck we can sit and watch the beauty of God's kingdom. It looks like we will be staying there for the duration of our time away from home. Well, someone has to do it! Again, we are thankful for God's Goodness. The company is picking up the tab and we are thankful for that as well.
I miss my kids, my grandkids. Hopefully they can come see us this weekend.
I may not be able to post for several days as we have no connection in the country. Only here in town at the dealership.
I came today to put out the word for employees to have a contact number for their paychecks. The company is paying everyone! They have insurance for this kind of thing. Thank you, God, again for your great mercies.
Take care and Rita will not keep this ole gal down long!
Monday, September 26, 2005
NO NEW NEWS!
Right now there is no new news. We are still waiting to see when we can go home. We search the internet daily for any news. It is hard to find that news sometimes. I have found that I can get a stream of our local radio station on the internet and that has helped....hearing familiar voices!
Tollie may need to go to Tyler for work. The server was airlifted from Beaumont to Tyler and now there is work to be done there. If he goes, I am going with him. He can do most everything on line but it would be easier to be there to work.
I just don't think I can be without him right now! I told him I just want us to be together. I need him and he needs me. I think the uncertainity at this time causes me to grasp the one normal. So I am hanging tight to him.
We hope to go home by the end of the week. Each new morsel of information gives us hope that things are returning back to normal. Schools won't be starting in that area for another week or two and many businesses will have repairs before resuming work. We are still uncertain if the dealership is okay. But we think it probably is. One of the guys who does all the contracting things, maintenance on the building and electrical things stayed in Beaumont.
At this moment, we are still in Arlington, helping my sister and her husband paint their house to get it ready to sell. They will be moving as soon as it sells. Tommy resigned his position as preacher for the New York Avenue Church of Christ in Arlington this past Sunday. His doctors have encouraged him to retire. He was hoping to work for about a year more, but the elders thought it best for him to retire now. So......we are trying to help them. It is good to have something to keep us busy.
Busy is good at this time, it helps to be "normal". Hopefully, we will be going home soon. We keep holding tight to the Lord and his will in all this and our faith is ever stronger.
Tollie may need to go to Tyler for work. The server was airlifted from Beaumont to Tyler and now there is work to be done there. If he goes, I am going with him. He can do most everything on line but it would be easier to be there to work.
I just don't think I can be without him right now! I told him I just want us to be together. I need him and he needs me. I think the uncertainity at this time causes me to grasp the one normal. So I am hanging tight to him.
We hope to go home by the end of the week. Each new morsel of information gives us hope that things are returning back to normal. Schools won't be starting in that area for another week or two and many businesses will have repairs before resuming work. We are still uncertain if the dealership is okay. But we think it probably is. One of the guys who does all the contracting things, maintenance on the building and electrical things stayed in Beaumont.
At this moment, we are still in Arlington, helping my sister and her husband paint their house to get it ready to sell. They will be moving as soon as it sells. Tommy resigned his position as preacher for the New York Avenue Church of Christ in Arlington this past Sunday. His doctors have encouraged him to retire. He was hoping to work for about a year more, but the elders thought it best for him to retire now. So......we are trying to help them. It is good to have something to keep us busy.
Busy is good at this time, it helps to be "normal". Hopefully, we will be going home soon. We keep holding tight to the Lord and his will in all this and our faith is ever stronger.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
PRAISE GOD!
We stayed up most of the night watching the news. We did sleep some, intermittently. All I could imagine from what we saw on the TV was that our house might be standing but the windows and glass door on the back might not have survived.
I suggested a few minutes ago for Tollie to call our neighbors across the street since they were not sure they were evacuating. When he called, their answering machine came on! What a surprise. So....he called our next door neighbor, Terry. He answered the phone and then lost connection. Tollie tried again and it rang and rang. Then, Terry answered and said he had just walked in the door. He had spent the night in Beaumont in a hotel. He works for Entergy and had stayed close to start work soon after the storm passed. He had gone home this morning to check everything out. He said from what he could see, everything was intact and okay. He said he would call back after more inspection.
Terry called back and we did loose one of the big trees in the back yard, but since the wind was blowing from the north it went away from our house and fell in the neighbors back yard. The house was intact and there did not seem to be much damage. He had lost a ridge vent and there was some shingle damage.
Now I am in shock and praising God that we have a home to go home to. Now it will be just a matter of time to get electricity back on. I feel great knowing what I can face when I get home. Thank you God and I pray that others fared as well. The storm going into the east of us helped take the brunt to the east of us and not on us. Sorry for Lake Charles and thankful they had evacuated.
Will update more as I know more.
I suggested a few minutes ago for Tollie to call our neighbors across the street since they were not sure they were evacuating. When he called, their answering machine came on! What a surprise. So....he called our next door neighbor, Terry. He answered the phone and then lost connection. Tollie tried again and it rang and rang. Then, Terry answered and said he had just walked in the door. He had spent the night in Beaumont in a hotel. He works for Entergy and had stayed close to start work soon after the storm passed. He had gone home this morning to check everything out. He said from what he could see, everything was intact and okay. He said he would call back after more inspection.
Terry called back and we did loose one of the big trees in the back yard, but since the wind was blowing from the north it went away from our house and fell in the neighbors back yard. The house was intact and there did not seem to be much damage. He had lost a ridge vent and there was some shingle damage.
Now I am in shock and praising God that we have a home to go home to. Now it will be just a matter of time to get electricity back on. I feel great knowing what I can face when I get home. Thank you God and I pray that others fared as well. The storm going into the east of us helped take the brunt to the east of us and not on us. Sorry for Lake Charles and thankful they had evacuated.
Will update more as I know more.
AFTER MIDNIGHT
It is after midnight and we are, well let's make that clear, I am still waiting and watching. Unfortunately, my sister does not have cable. So.....I am on the computer searching for any recent news concerning Rita.
I found a website out of Houston for a TV station and it has helped feed me some of the information. I should just go to bed and wait till morning, but it is my home we are talking about. I want to know how the house fared. But in reality I won't know until someone goes home and checks everything out.
The best news to hear to night is that Rita is 30 miles southeast of Port Arthur. Wow! Southeast is good news. We live on the west end of Beaumont. Beaumont is northwest of Port Arthur. So that means we are on the west side of the eye wall. That could mean less damage, less rain and wind. I have to remember that Rita is very large and there will be some damage, but by being on the west side, there is less chance of tornadoes and the wind comes from the north, not the south.
I have hope. I am clinging to that hope.
I found a website out of Houston for a TV station and it has helped feed me some of the information. I should just go to bed and wait till morning, but it is my home we are talking about. I want to know how the house fared. But in reality I won't know until someone goes home and checks everything out.
The best news to hear to night is that Rita is 30 miles southeast of Port Arthur. Wow! Southeast is good news. We live on the west end of Beaumont. Beaumont is northwest of Port Arthur. So that means we are on the west side of the eye wall. That could mean less damage, less rain and wind. I have to remember that Rita is very large and there will be some damage, but by being on the west side, there is less chance of tornadoes and the wind comes from the north, not the south.
I have hope. I am clinging to that hope.
Friday, September 23, 2005
LUNCH, A NAP!
It is amazing how lunch and a nap can give you a different perspective.
I awoke this morning around 7:00 am. I had a restful night. I did wake several times during the night but that is to be expected since I am in someone else's bed. But each time I woke, I was able to go right back to sleep without much effort, a definite difference from the night before! So I did get a good night's rest.
When I got up this morning I turned on the TV to check the progress of Rita and bam! The I-45 tragedy struck me full force and the tears started flowing. I felt exhausted and cried at every word out of my mouth. I went ahead around 9:30 and showered and dressed for the day with a headache the size of a watermelon and just about has heavy.
My sister called about 11:00 am from her work and we all went to lunch. I tried not to dominate the conversation with our concerns and it was an enjoyable lunch. We came back to the house, me and Tollie and both fell in a restful afternoon nap.
I awoke an hour later, no headache and much clearer eyed. I feel much better.
Hurricane Rita has downgraded to a 3. She is still going to be large and dangerous and it was a good thing that we left. We have made some decisions that I feel good about. The first decision made this morning was that we will only take the disabled couple back to Beaumont when we are assured they have their apartment with adequate electricity and their assistants are back to help them. Otherwise, we will encourage them to stay here where family can assistant them. We have a work friend who is closer to Beaumont where he evacuated to and we have made contact to ask him to check on our house. That way, we will be able to determine better when we can return and what we will be returning to find. With these decisions in place, I feel better.
Is is a control issue? Yes. We have laughed that Tollie tends to shut down and he will sleep most of the day. I get into gear in these situations and work my brain when my body can't do anything and solve all the problems. I really want to allow God to be in control and I am doing pretty well in that area. But my feelings of needing to be in control are there and I am trying to distinguish what is a feeling and what is an action in that area.
Thankful is the word of the day. Thankful we are here, thankful we have a place to lay our head and thankful my family is safe.
I awoke this morning around 7:00 am. I had a restful night. I did wake several times during the night but that is to be expected since I am in someone else's bed. But each time I woke, I was able to go right back to sleep without much effort, a definite difference from the night before! So I did get a good night's rest.
When I got up this morning I turned on the TV to check the progress of Rita and bam! The I-45 tragedy struck me full force and the tears started flowing. I felt exhausted and cried at every word out of my mouth. I went ahead around 9:30 and showered and dressed for the day with a headache the size of a watermelon and just about has heavy.
My sister called about 11:00 am from her work and we all went to lunch. I tried not to dominate the conversation with our concerns and it was an enjoyable lunch. We came back to the house, me and Tollie and both fell in a restful afternoon nap.
I awoke an hour later, no headache and much clearer eyed. I feel much better.
Hurricane Rita has downgraded to a 3. She is still going to be large and dangerous and it was a good thing that we left. We have made some decisions that I feel good about. The first decision made this morning was that we will only take the disabled couple back to Beaumont when we are assured they have their apartment with adequate electricity and their assistants are back to help them. Otherwise, we will encourage them to stay here where family can assistant them. We have a work friend who is closer to Beaumont where he evacuated to and we have made contact to ask him to check on our house. That way, we will be able to determine better when we can return and what we will be returning to find. With these decisions in place, I feel better.
Is is a control issue? Yes. We have laughed that Tollie tends to shut down and he will sleep most of the day. I get into gear in these situations and work my brain when my body can't do anything and solve all the problems. I really want to allow God to be in control and I am doing pretty well in that area. But my feelings of needing to be in control are there and I am trying to distinguish what is a feeling and what is an action in that area.
Thankful is the word of the day. Thankful we are here, thankful we have a place to lay our head and thankful my family is safe.
JUST WATCHING!
I am sitting in my sister's house, watching the news. I have a headache pounding in my head, making my eyes tear! Or maybe, the tears coming from my eyes are making my head hurt. At this point, it is hard to tell! It is all a blur, swirling around in my head, much like Rita!
I watch as Rita is swirling in the gulf, heading straight for my home. My home of 30 years. We have enjoyed the springs and falls. We have loved the trees. We came from west Texas where trees were sparse and the grass turned yellow in the winter. The trees, large trees with lots of shade are green all year round, because they are oaks. The grass is not as green in the winter, but stays green all year.
My home, where we added a front porch just two falls ago and have enjoyed sitting there, enjoying the rain or watching the kids play in the front yard. My rocker that came from Cracker Barrel, given to me at Christmas from my wonderful husband is sitting against the house, hopefully close enough to remain there.
I sit here wondering what to expect. I believe I will have nothing left when we return. Now I am second guessing about what I brought with me. Did I get everything I could? No, I had plenty of more room in the van. I could have taken so much more. But was it necessary. I almost got the genealogy stuff, but decided at the last minute to leave it. I have worked long hours searching for that information and why did I not get it? It was a decision and I was tired of trying to make those decisions.
Rita is swirling and my head is swirling. I am hopeful, I am here, I am safe, my family is safe and God is in control!
I watch as Rita is swirling in the gulf, heading straight for my home. My home of 30 years. We have enjoyed the springs and falls. We have loved the trees. We came from west Texas where trees were sparse and the grass turned yellow in the winter. The trees, large trees with lots of shade are green all year round, because they are oaks. The grass is not as green in the winter, but stays green all year.
My home, where we added a front porch just two falls ago and have enjoyed sitting there, enjoying the rain or watching the kids play in the front yard. My rocker that came from Cracker Barrel, given to me at Christmas from my wonderful husband is sitting against the house, hopefully close enough to remain there.
I sit here wondering what to expect. I believe I will have nothing left when we return. Now I am second guessing about what I brought with me. Did I get everything I could? No, I had plenty of more room in the van. I could have taken so much more. But was it necessary. I almost got the genealogy stuff, but decided at the last minute to leave it. I have worked long hours searching for that information and why did I not get it? It was a decision and I was tired of trying to make those decisions.
Rita is swirling and my head is swirling. I am hopeful, I am here, I am safe, my family is safe and God is in control!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
WE MADE IT!
We left Beaumont about 5:45 this morning with our little disabled couple in tow and we headed north. We were cruising along pretty well when we hit a stop north of Kountze. And I mean we came to a dead stop. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to reach Woodville, a trip that normally would take about 45 minutes to an hour. Which really when we hear the horror of the parking lot on I45, that is not too bad. After reaching that point, it was bumper to bumper but we were able to keep moving. They had finally called the mandatory evacuation and when they did that it opened all intersections to the north traffic. There were police directing traffic at all major intersections and we were able to go on through without a hitch. In fact after reaching Woodville, it seemed the traffic just kind of thinned out. We wondered where all the traffic went. But each time we came to a small town, the traffic would back up again and be slow.
We arrived in Dallas about 3:00 pm, tired but thankful. We left the couple at a motel in Lewisville and waited for their family to arrive. It was taking a long time for them to get there and we left about 4:30 to head to Arlington. We arrived at my sister's house about 5:30, read weary but in one piece.
Our oldest daughter left with her family about 9:30 pm last night and had planned to go 287 to Corsicana to her cousin's, but when they arrived in Woodville, 287 was closed to through traffic. So.....they had to go all the way to Lufkin and then go back down to Corsicana. They finally stopped for about an hour to sleep and then arrived there about 5:30 this morning. They are safe and sound.
Our youngest is safe and sound in Austin.
Where is Rita going? Only God knows at this time. I have had the feeling all day that I would not have anything to go back to. I'm not sure why, but when we walked out the door this morning, it felt like it would be the last time. Only God knows if that is going to happen. I have cried my tears and will cry more but I am okay with it! If we lose everything, we are still blessed and we have each other. That means more than any stuff!
I also had the feeling of a mother hen all night and this morning, wanting to gather my chickens under my wings and protect them. As soon as I knew Jamie and Paul and the girls were safe, I was okay. I then realized I was in the protection of my father and we would be fine.
I don't know about my neighbor. They were not going to leave, but when I talked to them this morning, they had decided to evacuate. So......not sure where they went or when the left. I just pray everyone gets out in time. It will not be good no matter where Rita decides to come ashore. There will be damage of some sort. We live north of I10. One report today said that if Beaumont takes a direct hit, we could get a storm surge of 20 feet and it could reach I10. That is hard to believe, but we will see.
Prayers are needed, especially for those on the roads in Houston and other areas where they are trying to flee. I am just so thankful we got out in time. Now it is all in the Lord's hands.
We arrived in Dallas about 3:00 pm, tired but thankful. We left the couple at a motel in Lewisville and waited for their family to arrive. It was taking a long time for them to get there and we left about 4:30 to head to Arlington. We arrived at my sister's house about 5:30, read weary but in one piece.
Our oldest daughter left with her family about 9:30 pm last night and had planned to go 287 to Corsicana to her cousin's, but when they arrived in Woodville, 287 was closed to through traffic. So.....they had to go all the way to Lufkin and then go back down to Corsicana. They finally stopped for about an hour to sleep and then arrived there about 5:30 this morning. They are safe and sound.
Our youngest is safe and sound in Austin.
Where is Rita going? Only God knows at this time. I have had the feeling all day that I would not have anything to go back to. I'm not sure why, but when we walked out the door this morning, it felt like it would be the last time. Only God knows if that is going to happen. I have cried my tears and will cry more but I am okay with it! If we lose everything, we are still blessed and we have each other. That means more than any stuff!
I also had the feeling of a mother hen all night and this morning, wanting to gather my chickens under my wings and protect them. As soon as I knew Jamie and Paul and the girls were safe, I was okay. I then realized I was in the protection of my father and we would be fine.
I don't know about my neighbor. They were not going to leave, but when I talked to them this morning, they had decided to evacuate. So......not sure where they went or when the left. I just pray everyone gets out in time. It will not be good no matter where Rita decides to come ashore. There will be damage of some sort. We live north of I10. One report today said that if Beaumont takes a direct hit, we could get a storm surge of 20 feet and it could reach I10. That is hard to believe, but we will see.
Prayers are needed, especially for those on the roads in Houston and other areas where they are trying to flee. I am just so thankful we got out in time. Now it is all in the Lord's hands.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Hello Rita
Well, we are leaving. We are heading out in the morning around 5:00 am for Dallas. The handicapped couple have a hotel room in Dallas and we will go to my sister's in Arlington.
We are in hopes of beating the traffic tie ups leaving so early. The reports today were that the traffic from Galveston to Huntsville was a parking lot! We don't want that. We have been down that road before and it was miserable. Hopefully, we will be well on our way before the traffic gets too bad.
I pray for those who are staying. Tornadoes and trees don't mix well. Our neighbors are staying so I am not worried about our home. It is only a house and stuff. I have packed those things that I feel I cannot live without at this time. Pictures, projects I am currently working on this computer. Everything else should be able to be replaced. Not easy, but can be over time.
I pray for those who are more in the direct line of Rita. At least we are on the fringes, so far. Thanks for your prayers. We have no control over hurricanes and tornadoes, but we do know who is in control and for that reason we will be fine. My kids are leaving tonight and should be well on their way to my neices' house. So as along as we have our family safe, I will be okay.
Today has been hard. I am tired and teary but doing okay. The drive will be hard.
Hope to give you updates as I can. Salute from Southeast Texas.
We are in hopes of beating the traffic tie ups leaving so early. The reports today were that the traffic from Galveston to Huntsville was a parking lot! We don't want that. We have been down that road before and it was miserable. Hopefully, we will be well on our way before the traffic gets too bad.
I pray for those who are staying. Tornadoes and trees don't mix well. Our neighbors are staying so I am not worried about our home. It is only a house and stuff. I have packed those things that I feel I cannot live without at this time. Pictures, projects I am currently working on this computer. Everything else should be able to be replaced. Not easy, but can be over time.
I pray for those who are more in the direct line of Rita. At least we are on the fringes, so far. Thanks for your prayers. We have no control over hurricanes and tornadoes, but we do know who is in control and for that reason we will be fine. My kids are leaving tonight and should be well on their way to my neices' house. So as along as we have our family safe, I will be okay.
Today has been hard. I am tired and teary but doing okay. The drive will be hard.
Hope to give you updates as I can. Salute from Southeast Texas.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Rita?
Well, Louisiana had their Katrina. Texas may have our Rita. At this point, it is looking more and more like we may have the big one come our way.
I am trying to think ahead and have contacted a niece who lives in Central Texas and we will probably go there if the need arises. We should know more about Thursday or Friday. Of course, anything can happen, as we know from Katrina. If Rita goes in east of us, we are okay, but anything west of us could spell danger, winds, tornadoes and rain, lots of rain. The last I heard today, it looked like it might be Galveston area, which is west of us. Depending on the category of the storm, it would affect us, just not sure how much. If it comes in at High Island, we are in more danger.
At this time, I am trying to determine what is of value, sentimental and what I should pack. We will have to decide if we take two vehicles or just one. This would also depend on the kids and what they want to do. They are north of us and may not have to evacuate. Later in the week, we will know.
I think everyone is much more on edge even here because of Katrina and the mess she left. We know it could be just as bad, although we are above sea level. That helps! My first priority is my pictures. I have albums and boxes of early movie tapes. They will go in first. Then there are some hand me downs from ancestors and they will need to be packed. Of course, the project I am working on now and others that are for later! The computer is a must! It has our life history on it!
My biggest concern is all the stuff in the yard we will have to move to the storage house or the garage. That will take some time. We are high here and I believe we will be okay, but we are taking no chances and if Rita decides to come visit, we will leave is she is anything more than a category 1. We have been through Bonnie and did okay. Anything more than 1 and we are out of here.
Will keep you updated on what I am taking and when we leave.
I am trying to think ahead and have contacted a niece who lives in Central Texas and we will probably go there if the need arises. We should know more about Thursday or Friday. Of course, anything can happen, as we know from Katrina. If Rita goes in east of us, we are okay, but anything west of us could spell danger, winds, tornadoes and rain, lots of rain. The last I heard today, it looked like it might be Galveston area, which is west of us. Depending on the category of the storm, it would affect us, just not sure how much. If it comes in at High Island, we are in more danger.
At this time, I am trying to determine what is of value, sentimental and what I should pack. We will have to decide if we take two vehicles or just one. This would also depend on the kids and what they want to do. They are north of us and may not have to evacuate. Later in the week, we will know.
I think everyone is much more on edge even here because of Katrina and the mess she left. We know it could be just as bad, although we are above sea level. That helps! My first priority is my pictures. I have albums and boxes of early movie tapes. They will go in first. Then there are some hand me downs from ancestors and they will need to be packed. Of course, the project I am working on now and others that are for later! The computer is a must! It has our life history on it!
My biggest concern is all the stuff in the yard we will have to move to the storage house or the garage. That will take some time. We are high here and I believe we will be okay, but we are taking no chances and if Rita decides to come visit, we will leave is she is anything more than a category 1. We have been through Bonnie and did okay. Anything more than 1 and we are out of here.
Will keep you updated on what I am taking and when we leave.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
LIFE
Today was a good day. Worship to the Lord. I saw one of my children, but didn't get to see the grandchildren. That was the only bad of a good day!
Ashton woke up sick this morning and stayed home. Paul stayed with her and Emma. I was able to visit with Jamie. Didn't get to see my other child as she is in Missouri as I type this and should be back in Austin tomorrow. I am praying she had a great time while there, even though I feel certain she did! It will be good to hear from her and find out how the weekend went. She was to meet more of the family!
I have been busy this weekend working! Yes, working on the weekend, but at least it was a fun job. I am doing a history video for the company I work with. I have had fun creating this video, of course with the help of my dear husband. He is so good at this and I have enjoyed working on it. It will be presented this week at a rotary club breakfast in Port Arthur. It will be interesting to see how it all comes out.
Life is full of surprises and changes. I know I am constantly reminded how changes affect almost every minute of my day. I know changes can affect not only the individual life, but a marriage as well. I am praying for my daughter and son-in-law for changes that have been happening in their life to settle down a bit and give them some comfort. Everyone in a marriage struggles at times and they are no different. They are working on the struggle and that is what it takes.
I hope you have few struggles today and if you have any suggestions for a happy relationship, leave them here. I would love to hear from you.
Ashton woke up sick this morning and stayed home. Paul stayed with her and Emma. I was able to visit with Jamie. Didn't get to see my other child as she is in Missouri as I type this and should be back in Austin tomorrow. I am praying she had a great time while there, even though I feel certain she did! It will be good to hear from her and find out how the weekend went. She was to meet more of the family!
I have been busy this weekend working! Yes, working on the weekend, but at least it was a fun job. I am doing a history video for the company I work with. I have had fun creating this video, of course with the help of my dear husband. He is so good at this and I have enjoyed working on it. It will be presented this week at a rotary club breakfast in Port Arthur. It will be interesting to see how it all comes out.
Life is full of surprises and changes. I know I am constantly reminded how changes affect almost every minute of my day. I know changes can affect not only the individual life, but a marriage as well. I am praying for my daughter and son-in-law for changes that have been happening in their life to settle down a bit and give them some comfort. Everyone in a marriage struggles at times and they are no different. They are working on the struggle and that is what it takes.
I hope you have few struggles today and if you have any suggestions for a happy relationship, leave them here. I would love to hear from you.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Good Discussion! I am Learning
I have been having a good discussion lately with Travis Stanley concerning race issues. You can get to his blog at www.travisstanley.net. He has some good things to say and I am learning to be more passionate, but at this point, I think I am learning to ask good questions. That is really what I want to gain right now from blogging. Asking good questions, thought provoking questions that cause me to think and wonder and search out my own heart.
I want to be more compassionate for the poor and I hope to gain that as well as more knowledge on what God wants from me.
Have a great day!
I want to be more compassionate for the poor and I hope to gain that as well as more knowledge on what God wants from me.
Have a great day!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Tollie and I are teaching a class on Sunday morning on Parenting. We only have a few people in our class. I was hoping for more in the class. Today was a good class. We talked about discipline and asked the members of the class to do some observing this next week and look for examples of what they think is good parenting and bad parenting. They are to be prepared next week to share what they observed.
We gave our examples today of bad parenting. Tollie had seen a woman at Mazzio's Pizza. She had the boy pinned down next to the building and slapped him across the face.
I had an example of a mother who tried to corral her 3 to 4 year old daughter and then out of the blue grab the child by the arm and start whooping her. Needless to say the child was surprised by the whooping and it was obvious the mother was either frustrated or angry or maybe even embarressed by the child's action and took out that feeling on the child.
We talked today about the fact that most, at least a lot of parents just go into parenting expecting to know how to parent without giving any thought or getting any instruction on how to parent. We looked at Hannah versus Eli on parenting in I Samuel. Hannah taught Samuel early on and when Eli had the boy and God called Samuel, he immediately obeyed the call. On the other hand, Eli scolded his sons and they were sinful and immoral. Eli waited too long to try to reign in his sons and it was too late.
Next week we will continue to talk about discipline and how that discipline involves training, instruction and molded the child.
We gave our examples today of bad parenting. Tollie had seen a woman at Mazzio's Pizza. She had the boy pinned down next to the building and slapped him across the face.
I had an example of a mother who tried to corral her 3 to 4 year old daughter and then out of the blue grab the child by the arm and start whooping her. Needless to say the child was surprised by the whooping and it was obvious the mother was either frustrated or angry or maybe even embarressed by the child's action and took out that feeling on the child.
We talked today about the fact that most, at least a lot of parents just go into parenting expecting to know how to parent without giving any thought or getting any instruction on how to parent. We looked at Hannah versus Eli on parenting in I Samuel. Hannah taught Samuel early on and when Eli had the boy and God called Samuel, he immediately obeyed the call. On the other hand, Eli scolded his sons and they were sinful and immoral. Eli waited too long to try to reign in his sons and it was too late.
Next week we will continue to talk about discipline and how that discipline involves training, instruction and molded the child.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
WHO DO WE BLAME?
That seems to be the question of the day. Who do we blame? Was the mayor of New Orleans at fault? What about the governor? And then why did the President not do something sooner? Everyone seems to be pointing fingers in all directions. The Republicans are really pointing fingers at the governor and mayor of New Orleans.
My belief, for what it is worth, is that the governor of Louisiana did not do her job. Of course, I am only hearing what happened and I was not there. So I can only make a judgement on what I hear. I have heard that the President had to call the governor and suggest to have the National Guard move in there. My understanding is that the President cannot go into the boundaries of the state and make decisions. It is up to the state to ask the President for this help. That makes sense to me. So why didn't the governor call sooner and ask for help? Did she expect the government to come in after declaring the disaster before the storm? Did she just not know the procedure? As governor, why didn't she know and understand the procedure?
When I hear the governor talk on TV, she does not seem to have much presence about her. She is not an eloquent speaker. She seems to be in a cloud, which would be understandable. But it also seems to confirm that she did not take the leadership necessary. When you compare all the other areas hit by the same storm, it seems others fared better with the help. There are complaints all over and that is usual. The governor of Mississippi seemed to have the presence to take charge and got results.
I have heard it compared to 9-11 and that Mayor Guillani took charge and things got done quickly. I would suspect that any governor who takes charge and makes things happen, makes decisions, would help in a crisis. When a crisis happens, you need someone to take charge and be the leader. Someone who can coordinate all the different entities. Some say that putting FEMA under the homeland security was a mistake. I hope they re-do this decision if that is the case.
My main concern in discussing all this is that I want to know where the breakdown of communication occurred. Why? ~~ So that it can be fixed. I live on the gulf coast of Texas. But for the grace of God, we could have been hit by Katrina and we are likely to be hit by another hurricane in the future. And, more importantly, with the state of the current world, a terrorist attack could occur anywhere, at anytime. When something happens, will the crisis cause this much mis-communication? Could we be faced with an even greater disaster? How will the government respond? How will the local authorities respond?
This is my concern. We have a mentality in the US that we are the chosen country. We are immune to disasters and when something like Katrina hits, it wakes us up to the fact that we are not immune. But how we respond to these disasters say a lot about who we are as a people.
My biggest response to Katrina's disaster is how Louisiana is ready to party but not ready for a crisis. How can a state with so many Casinos bringing in so many dollars still be one of the poorest states in the nation? Where is all the gambling money going? Whose pockets are being stuffed with dough? If a city, such as New Orleans is so poor, how did it continue to function? How can we, as a people, justifiably build New Orleans back in the same manner? It should be re-thought and re-built in a manner that would not jeopordize people's lives. The devastation is just incredible.
All of our lives are changed by Katrina. We will not see our world in the same light as before. We are all affected by this storm.
__________________________
Just an update: I still don't have anyone in my home for shelter. I have tried to find a small family, but have not gone out myself. I have made a call and left my number but no takers to date. We are trying to do what we can, but mainly praying is all we are able to do. I am concerned now that I cannot take anyone in for two reasons. Tollie leaves town every month for his work and I don't want to be here by myself with strangers in my home and secondly, we are not sure of the time frame for their staying. We have other things happening in the coming months and I would not want to have to ask someone to leave for those things. I just pray everyday for all those misplaced by Katrina.
My belief, for what it is worth, is that the governor of Louisiana did not do her job. Of course, I am only hearing what happened and I was not there. So I can only make a judgement on what I hear. I have heard that the President had to call the governor and suggest to have the National Guard move in there. My understanding is that the President cannot go into the boundaries of the state and make decisions. It is up to the state to ask the President for this help. That makes sense to me. So why didn't the governor call sooner and ask for help? Did she expect the government to come in after declaring the disaster before the storm? Did she just not know the procedure? As governor, why didn't she know and understand the procedure?
When I hear the governor talk on TV, she does not seem to have much presence about her. She is not an eloquent speaker. She seems to be in a cloud, which would be understandable. But it also seems to confirm that she did not take the leadership necessary. When you compare all the other areas hit by the same storm, it seems others fared better with the help. There are complaints all over and that is usual. The governor of Mississippi seemed to have the presence to take charge and got results.
I have heard it compared to 9-11 and that Mayor Guillani took charge and things got done quickly. I would suspect that any governor who takes charge and makes things happen, makes decisions, would help in a crisis. When a crisis happens, you need someone to take charge and be the leader. Someone who can coordinate all the different entities. Some say that putting FEMA under the homeland security was a mistake. I hope they re-do this decision if that is the case.
My main concern in discussing all this is that I want to know where the breakdown of communication occurred. Why? ~~ So that it can be fixed. I live on the gulf coast of Texas. But for the grace of God, we could have been hit by Katrina and we are likely to be hit by another hurricane in the future. And, more importantly, with the state of the current world, a terrorist attack could occur anywhere, at anytime. When something happens, will the crisis cause this much mis-communication? Could we be faced with an even greater disaster? How will the government respond? How will the local authorities respond?
This is my concern. We have a mentality in the US that we are the chosen country. We are immune to disasters and when something like Katrina hits, it wakes us up to the fact that we are not immune. But how we respond to these disasters say a lot about who we are as a people.
My biggest response to Katrina's disaster is how Louisiana is ready to party but not ready for a crisis. How can a state with so many Casinos bringing in so many dollars still be one of the poorest states in the nation? Where is all the gambling money going? Whose pockets are being stuffed with dough? If a city, such as New Orleans is so poor, how did it continue to function? How can we, as a people, justifiably build New Orleans back in the same manner? It should be re-thought and re-built in a manner that would not jeopordize people's lives. The devastation is just incredible.
All of our lives are changed by Katrina. We will not see our world in the same light as before. We are all affected by this storm.
__________________________
Just an update: I still don't have anyone in my home for shelter. I have tried to find a small family, but have not gone out myself. I have made a call and left my number but no takers to date. We are trying to do what we can, but mainly praying is all we are able to do. I am concerned now that I cannot take anyone in for two reasons. Tollie leaves town every month for his work and I don't want to be here by myself with strangers in my home and secondly, we are not sure of the time frame for their staying. We have other things happening in the coming months and I would not want to have to ask someone to leave for those things. I just pray everyday for all those misplaced by Katrina.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
WHAT IS IN A NAME?
I grew up thinking that if a person was not part of a church of Christ, he/she was not a true Christian. I believe my parents still have some remnant of this belief. However, for me I have come to believe we were wrong in that assumption because.......
Would believing that make the church the point of salvation, not Christ?
Would believing that cause us to put ourselves on a pedestal and believe we had arrived?
Would believing that take my focus off Jesus and point that focus on myself?
Yes, I believe the answer to each of these questions would be yes!!!!!
I was looking at a web page of a church. In my looking, I realized I was looking to see "what kind of church" they were. Is that a valid question? It hit me that if they were focusing on Jesus and him crucified, then what did it matter what flavor they were? They may do things differently than I do. They may have a different structure to their organization than I do, but in the end if they are looking to Jesus for salvation and reaching for answers from God, then who am I to determine they are not correct? Who gave me the authority to do that?
I don't know where they hail from. They just call themselves The People's Church. We call ourselves Christ Covenant Church. I think we are trying to say that we are generic. We don't have specific traditions to cause us to act a certain way. We are just trying to follow Jesus. In following Jesus, we are trying to point others to him as the only way to true happiness.
I pray we are doing a good job of that. I pray that my giving up my own traditions for Jesus is what it is all about. Does it really matter how we do things, as long as, first of all we do them and secondly we point to Jesus in all we do?. Are the issues really that important?
In light of the events in the last few days, I would gesture to say we focus on to many human aspects of this life and toss the spiritual. I pray I focus more on the spiritual today and put aside my human tendencies.
Would believing that make the church the point of salvation, not Christ?
Would believing that cause us to put ourselves on a pedestal and believe we had arrived?
Would believing that take my focus off Jesus and point that focus on myself?
Yes, I believe the answer to each of these questions would be yes!!!!!
I was looking at a web page of a church. In my looking, I realized I was looking to see "what kind of church" they were. Is that a valid question? It hit me that if they were focusing on Jesus and him crucified, then what did it matter what flavor they were? They may do things differently than I do. They may have a different structure to their organization than I do, but in the end if they are looking to Jesus for salvation and reaching for answers from God, then who am I to determine they are not correct? Who gave me the authority to do that?
I don't know where they hail from. They just call themselves The People's Church. We call ourselves Christ Covenant Church. I think we are trying to say that we are generic. We don't have specific traditions to cause us to act a certain way. We are just trying to follow Jesus. In following Jesus, we are trying to point others to him as the only way to true happiness.
I pray we are doing a good job of that. I pray that my giving up my own traditions for Jesus is what it is all about. Does it really matter how we do things, as long as, first of all we do them and secondly we point to Jesus in all we do?. Are the issues really that important?
In light of the events in the last few days, I would gesture to say we focus on to many human aspects of this life and toss the spiritual. I pray I focus more on the spiritual today and put aside my human tendencies.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Great Labor Day Weekend!
I started Friday by baking cakes. I made four cakes to take to the building on Saturday. 60 cakes were to be delivered on Saturday and 60 on Sunday for a shelter housed in Lumberton. It will feed about 200 people. This is our part of helping in the disaster. Of course, we have thousands in our city and this is a small part of helping out.
I keep thinking God will send someone to stay with us, but as yet, all my efforts to house someone has not met results. I keep praying about it, and will continue to do so.
I keep thinking about my sister and brother-in-law. Tommy preached yesterday to a congregation suffering from great loss. Losing four members in a church is hard. These were four of their core senior members. They will be suffering for a while.
On Saturday, we ran errands and I cooked for my family. Mindy came in Saturday evening and the little g-kids stayed the night with us. We had lunch here on Sunday and had a birthday party for Ashton on Sunday evening. Ashton's birthday is not until the 13th of this month but because Mindy could come this weekend, we decided to have her birthday. On the 13th, Ashton will be five years old. Where did the time go? She had a great time, getting a new bike, new clothes and a new Bible!
This morning, Mindy has already left for Austin. She has to work this afternoon and so had to be on the road early. We had breakfast and then she left. I am taking the time now to do my reading and blogging, before Tollie gets on the computer and works on his schooling. He has some things he needs to do this morning. Then my plan for the day is to relax and work on my projects to get them done. I am getting close.
Labor Day was always a fun day for me growing up, but I could never understand why taking the day off for Labor!?! It didn't make sense to me. It is always refreshing to have a day of rest from our labors and I appreciate God giving up Sunday. We use to have a group that would cook out together before we went to do our hospital ministry, but these days we are scattered and don't seem to have "time" for that sort of gathering any more.
Tollie and I started our parenting class yesterday. I was a little disappointed that we only had a couple of people there, but it was Labor Day weekend. I hope this is not indicative of the next few weeks. It will be a long 13 week series! We began by telling our "story" and asking each of them to do the same. In other words to tell the type of family they grew up in, how many years married, how many children, etc. Mindy came into our class and it was fun to hear her tell of her expectations for marriage and children and her rebellious teen years! We all had a good laugh.
We plan to cover many aspects of the family including marriage, child raising during the pre-birth on up to grown children. I pray God will use us to reach those who want to know what the Bible says concerning all this and also the experiences of others in these areas. I think it will be a fun class.
Have a great week and a laborless labor day!
I keep thinking God will send someone to stay with us, but as yet, all my efforts to house someone has not met results. I keep praying about it, and will continue to do so.
I keep thinking about my sister and brother-in-law. Tommy preached yesterday to a congregation suffering from great loss. Losing four members in a church is hard. These were four of their core senior members. They will be suffering for a while.
On Saturday, we ran errands and I cooked for my family. Mindy came in Saturday evening and the little g-kids stayed the night with us. We had lunch here on Sunday and had a birthday party for Ashton on Sunday evening. Ashton's birthday is not until the 13th of this month but because Mindy could come this weekend, we decided to have her birthday. On the 13th, Ashton will be five years old. Where did the time go? She had a great time, getting a new bike, new clothes and a new Bible!
This morning, Mindy has already left for Austin. She has to work this afternoon and so had to be on the road early. We had breakfast and then she left. I am taking the time now to do my reading and blogging, before Tollie gets on the computer and works on his schooling. He has some things he needs to do this morning. Then my plan for the day is to relax and work on my projects to get them done. I am getting close.
Labor Day was always a fun day for me growing up, but I could never understand why taking the day off for Labor!?! It didn't make sense to me. It is always refreshing to have a day of rest from our labors and I appreciate God giving up Sunday. We use to have a group that would cook out together before we went to do our hospital ministry, but these days we are scattered and don't seem to have "time" for that sort of gathering any more.
Tollie and I started our parenting class yesterday. I was a little disappointed that we only had a couple of people there, but it was Labor Day weekend. I hope this is not indicative of the next few weeks. It will be a long 13 week series! We began by telling our "story" and asking each of them to do the same. In other words to tell the type of family they grew up in, how many years married, how many children, etc. Mindy came into our class and it was fun to hear her tell of her expectations for marriage and children and her rebellious teen years! We all had a good laugh.
We plan to cover many aspects of the family including marriage, child raising during the pre-birth on up to grown children. I pray God will use us to reach those who want to know what the Bible says concerning all this and also the experiences of others in these areas. I think it will be a fun class.
Have a great week and a laborless labor day!
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