1. Having to leave your home and not knowing if it will be there when you get back because the area where you live is under a mandatory evacuation.
2. Traveling in the car with your dog and cat at a snail's pace because the traffic is bumper to bumper for 17 hours straight at night during an extreme Texas heat wave. (Sept. 2005)
3. Staying at a relative's house and watching the weather channel and the news to see when and where the hurricane is expected to make landfall.
4. Staying up all night watching Geraldo Rivera get knocked off his feet by the wind and sprayed by the waves on Galveston Beach.
5. Calling your friends to see how high the water is getting now and if it's possible to get to your house.
6. Having your friend tell you to "expect the worst" before you come home.
7. Driving home "expecting the worst" and smelling "the worst" for miles before you get there.
8. Finding your outside cat traumatized under your pick-up truck and buried in soggy marsh reeds.
9. Not being able to open your front door because it's swollen shut and the lock doesn't work from being submerged under water.
10. Finding dead fish and mud in your house or a live alligator in your next door neighbor's yard.
11. Having all your furniture and appliances turned topsy turvy.
12. Climbing over your mattress and feeling it squish even though it's not a water bed.
13. Wearing a mask to clean out your house as you watch the white mold turning to black.
14. Throwing all your earthly belongings, including the love letters your husband wrote you before you married, in the middle of your front yard.
15. Having to watch your children go through all your stuff BEFORE you are dead and gone.
16. Losing 30 years worth of pictures, baby and wedding albums.
17. Tearing out the walls of your house and spraying it with bleach to kill the mold and mildew.
18. Living in a single hotel room with your family of four for more than 2 weeks.
19. Looking for a place to stay close to home and finding NOTHING is available. Absolutely nothing.
20. Getting a call in the middle of the night from a friend saying "I think your house may be on fire."
The list may sound somewhat morbid to some, but I have found writing about my experiences to be somewhat healing. It's all part of a grieving process that we go through. I have been told that anytime we experience a loss we must also take the time to grieve our losses. I am not trying to seek pity here, I only want to share from my heart and remind others to appreciate and enjoy what you have while you have it. I know I am alot more thankful for what God has given me and realize that I can live with alot less "stuff" than all the things I had accumulated over the years. I am thankful that I have my life and a strong family of faith who is so supportive of me.
2. Traveling in the car with your dog and cat at a snail's pace because the traffic is bumper to bumper for 17 hours straight at night during an extreme Texas heat wave. (Sept. 2005)
3. Staying at a relative's house and watching the weather channel and the news to see when and where the hurricane is expected to make landfall.
4. Staying up all night watching Geraldo Rivera get knocked off his feet by the wind and sprayed by the waves on Galveston Beach.
5. Calling your friends to see how high the water is getting now and if it's possible to get to your house.
6. Having your friend tell you to "expect the worst" before you come home.
7. Driving home "expecting the worst" and smelling "the worst" for miles before you get there.
8. Finding your outside cat traumatized under your pick-up truck and buried in soggy marsh reeds.
9. Not being able to open your front door because it's swollen shut and the lock doesn't work from being submerged under water.
10. Finding dead fish and mud in your house or a live alligator in your next door neighbor's yard.
11. Having all your furniture and appliances turned topsy turvy.
12. Climbing over your mattress and feeling it squish even though it's not a water bed.
13. Wearing a mask to clean out your house as you watch the white mold turning to black.
14. Throwing all your earthly belongings, including the love letters your husband wrote you before you married, in the middle of your front yard.
15. Having to watch your children go through all your stuff BEFORE you are dead and gone.
16. Losing 30 years worth of pictures, baby and wedding albums.
17. Tearing out the walls of your house and spraying it with bleach to kill the mold and mildew.
18. Living in a single hotel room with your family of four for more than 2 weeks.
19. Looking for a place to stay close to home and finding NOTHING is available. Absolutely nothing.
20. Getting a call in the middle of the night from a friend saying "I think your house may be on fire."
The list may sound somewhat morbid to some, but I have found writing about my experiences to be somewhat healing. It's all part of a grieving process that we go through. I have been told that anytime we experience a loss we must also take the time to grieve our losses. I am not trying to seek pity here, I only want to share from my heart and remind others to appreciate and enjoy what you have while you have it. I know I am alot more thankful for what God has given me and realize that I can live with alot less "stuff" than all the things I had accumulated over the years. I am thankful that I have my life and a strong family of faith who is so supportive of me.
No comments:
Post a Comment