I Can Hardly Believe It!

As much as I'd like to make this purely a "touchy-feelie" post I just can't do it. There are some situations that I'm having trouble getting my mind around today.

For instance, most likely you have heard about the terrible flooding hitting Tennessee this weekend but I can hardly believe that . . .

1. Pastor Dad and I drove those same interstates a mere 24 hours prior to the time they were closed! If we had taken our time (as we at first thought about doing) and not pressed onward with a mega-marathon drive on Thursday between mid-TX and Memphis, TN we most likely would have been stranded on I-40 between Memphis and Nashville on Saturday like some of our friends have been. We made it home Friday evening after driving 11 hours on Thursday and 8 hours on Friday. (Photos of the devastation in the area where we had driven only hours before.)
2. Friday morning when we got ready to leave Memphis we began having car trouble and thought we might need to make other arrangements to get ourselves home! Prayer and Pastor Dad's assessment of the situation allowed us to make a temporary engine fix that made it possible to get home without leaving ours there and renting another one. Our car still needs repairing, but at least that will take place here and not there.
3. I am overly drawn to Facebook and Twitter this weekend. I have lots and lots and lots of friends and loved ones living in Middle Tennessee and I want reassurance that they are all safe.
4. Karen and Lulu were born in Cincinnati but raised in Middle Tennessee and that Princess and The Bear were born in Middle Tennessee but raised in Cincinnati. We do humorous things sometimes ourselves but in this case we feel it was God who showed a sense of humor!
5. the area where we lived for 14 years that suffered from severe drought several of those years now has more water than it can handle. I wonder if our prior residence is high and dry! And is the mall that was built on the 100-year flood plain now flooded?
6. The Bear (my baby boy!) is 15 years old today! The years have flown by much too quickly. I comfort myself with the knowledge that he may not always be my little boy but he'll always be my son. For that, I am abundantly grateful and feel abundantly blessed!

So, in conclusion, to my loved ones in Tennessee: I'm praying for your safety and your recovery from this unexpected storm.

And to my son: I love you very much and pray you have a very Happy Birthday!