Calm after Chaos-September 19

Readers, thank you to all of you who prayed for the Houston region during Hurricane Ike. Your prayers were felt. They became part of our shelter through the high winds and water.
As usual, leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net to have your name entered into a drawing for my new co-authored Christmas book, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. Or visit http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/ to enter to win a basket of Christmas goodies worth over $200.

The photo is of daughter Sheryle's house and the pine tree which poked holes in roof and let water rain down in nearly every room. But she and others with similar damage are the most fortunate among those who had losses.
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First, let me say how sorry I am for all the misery suffered in the South East due to Hurricane Ike stomping through our region. The most sorrowful is the loss of life. Less traumatic, but still devastating, others have been stripped of all the belongings that had rested on their patch of real estate.

While the national news, for the most part, has moved on to current stories, this region will be embroiled in sorting out claims, removing fallen trees, and patching up lives for many months to come.

During any storm in life, the violent disturbance can become a schoolmaster. Here are a few things I observed during Hurricane Ike. Trees are magnificent creations. A positive observation is that a grove of them can block fierce winds, but trees can also crash on homes, ripping apart dwellings and taking lives. But they are used in repairs, too, when lumber is used to shore up roofs damaged by their many cousins.

The same wind can blow a home off its foundation and leave an empty barrel upright, unmoved. The wind blew Jan Tickner’s “Hallelujah!” sign off her back gate, but it didn’t blow the hallelujah out of her soul.

Storms cause friends to rally, to ring us up with offers of prayer. Before the storm our cronies phoned from Africa, Ohio, California, and Arkansas. Emails flooded in from friends in Tennessee, Missouri, Florida and many other places. After the event, friends offered to send money to help. We declined their offers, but the gestures will linger as silver linings.

The human faces in our area reflected so much. There were plenty of smiles, but there were also those looks of resignation, saying we’ll manage, we’ll come through this. After eight days of no electric power and coping with all sorts of clean up activities, weariness settled on some countenances, especially those who had not regained electricity.

On the lighter side, on day seven without electricity or running water, we had our first hot shower at a relative’s home who had power restored. We then trekked to Chick-fil-A
(open for limited hours) in our fresh laundered clothes. We felt way over dressed in our clean jeans.

Doing without made me appreciate the most basic, taken for granted things in life -- refrigerators, electric pumps for wells, air conditioning, tap water, hot water heaters, dish washers, and washing machines. It’s tough seeing your neighbors’ lights shine, while just across the street you still have no electricity. I said to myself several times. “Thou shall not covet. Thou shall not covet.”

Storms test us. Heavy oaks topple and delicate crape myrtle blossoms hang on. Storms and their aftermath become perfect times to lend a helping hand and shine a gracious smile toward your neighbor.

Visit Cathy at http://stainedglasspickup.blogspot.com/

STORM SURGES

The September book drawing will be for my new co-authored book: A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday
Send me an email writecat@consolidated.net or leave a comment to enter your name. Drawing will be held Sept. 30, 2008.

Check out the new Christmas blog inspired by this book, more contests for gift basket and books begins on Sept. 15th at blog:
http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

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The 1900 Hurricane hit Galveston, Texas with ferocity causing devastation to life and property. Survivors met with a night of terror on the 8th of September, the night when over 6,000 perished. With little warning, the storm swept into the Gulf and barged into an unprepared community. Homes and families splintered, some to never heal.

As Hurricane Ike approaches, I recall stories of courage and bravery recounted from that 108 year-old disaster. The uncanny date for it was September 8, 1900.

This week I spoke with author Janice Thompson who wrote a compelling novel about the 1900 storm, “Hurricane” (Cook Communications). Although out of print, a few copies are still available online. In her fiction, a few characters’ lives also had storm surges, undercurrents that battered their foundations.

When Janice and I spoke we talked about life rip tides. Janice said, “Everyone is shaped by storms.” We either prove strong or weak. We come through with better understanding or we may be robbed of momentum.

The Great Storm is considered this nation’s worst natural disaster. The Sisters of Charity ran a hospital and an orphanage several miles from what is now known as The Strand in Galveston, Texas. At the first sign of rising water the 10 sisters took a few supplies and 90 children to the second floor of the girl’s dormitory.

During the escapes to higher floors, to comfort and distract the children, they sang an old French hymn, “Queen of the Waves.” When forceful salt water rose to the third floor, each nun used pieces of clothes line to lash 6 to 8 children to their waist cinctures.

Afterwards, only three of the boys were saved by clinging to a tree. They finally made it to the high stacks of rubble in the main part of town to tell of the sisters’ bravery. When burials began, the children, some still lashed to nuns were buried together.

As I finish this column on Thursday A. M., Hurricane Ike is churning the Gulf of Mexico, nearing us, an unwelcome intruder. It looks like we’ll all have ample opportunities to rally and take care of our own and our neighbors, those close to our homes and those fleeing the Bay Area.

Some folk already have personal storms they’re battling, so during this weather crisis, be kinder than you need to be. It’s a good time to follow the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Each year, no matter where the Sisters of Charity are serving, foreign or in the Houston area, they sing “Queen of the Waves” on September 8th in memory of the courageous.

Take care, neighbors. May the greatest caregiver of all watch over this patch of his earth and sea. Be a blessing in a storm.