Another beautiful day in Paradise

We walked to the bay this morning, about 1/2 mile. I wanted to be visually reminded that our cliff was pretty high, hopefully high enough to protect us from the predicted 15 foot storm surge expected by good ole Ike. The tide was a little high, but that's to be expected.

Along our way I noticed a lady putting a box of kitty litter into the back of her van, obviously she was planning on evacuating - her house was a little over a block from the public boat ramp and pier we had just walked to. I asked her about the "history" of this area, since we've only been here 3 years. She said she had never been flooded due to a storm surge during the 12 years she lived in that house, and only flooded once during Alison 2001 due to faulty drainage - they have since reworked our ditch system and she felt confident it would be better than 2001. This was reassuring! As an added note she said she was taking a neighbor out of the area that had no other mode of transportation, this lady had an autistic grandson and several critters (hence the kitty litter). I told her we would pray for safe journeys and that God would put the animals in hibernation mode - similar to what I image He did for Noah. It warmed my heart to think of the personal sacrifice this lady was engaging in for the love of a neighbor in need.

It wasn't long after our walk that my oldest son called. He and his friend were on their way to help us put up our boards - makes me really proud to know that somewhere along the road we've done something right in that our grown children and their friends are concerned enough to "make the rounds" and help their parents, grandparents and their friend's parents with the grunt work. Oh, we could have done it ourselves, but why rob them of their blessing of servant hood! And truth be known, it was much faster with the help! And as my husband added, "they are young and will get over it" - we tend to feel it for a while (smile) For now the front windows are left uncovered so we can continue to benefit from the sunlight and not get claustrophobic too quickly.

I have to admit that I'm sorta numb right now. Not numb with fear, but numb to the fear and panic. Does that make sense? We have a check list of things that we hope to accomplish and we are just working down that check list. There's nothing else to do, what will happen will happen. I commented to a friend last night that I hope this isn't a test of my faith and personal resolve that "none of these things shall move me" - recently heard a wonderful sermon on standing firm in the midst of trials based on the verses Acts 20:22-24 by Don McClure from Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa - that I'm hoping when I'm "squeezed" that His grace flows. I'm counting on Him to calm this child, while I'm hoping He will certainly tell the winds and seas to be still!!

I'm ready to check this one off our list!!

More later.