What Ike Was Like

We are on the backside of a Category 2, almost 3, Hurricane that hit Texas last Saturday around 3 am. My mind is still reeling from all we have seen and heard, but perhaps these snippets give you a glance into what Ike was like for the Mounces.

*Cringing as they stereo-typed Texas once again by using the phrase "Hunkerdown". Just add that to us all riding horses, having oil derricks in our backyards and JR and Sue Ellen being everyone's BFF.

*Walking the aisles at Target on Friday and marveling at what people thought were 'essential supplies' beyond D batteries, peanut butter and bottled water. Let's just say the carbs were free flowing in everyone's baskets. Nothing says comfort like some Ding Dongs and Fiddle Faddle

*Making a pallet for my boys on the floor beside me and then turning off the lights to grab a bit of sleep before the winds began to change. Feeling so grateful that they fell right to sleep...no fear at all.

*Hearing the first of the transformers blow and not being able to distinguish the green glow for lighting or more transformers losing power

*Seeing my man intensely watching progress of the storm, by the blue glow of our tv

*Hearing the wind begin to shift and knowing the Hurricane is really going to hit our area this time

*Keeping watch over a specific tree, very close to our Master Bedroom in our backyard, as it went horizontal under the force of 70 mph winds pushing against it and then snap back in the calm.

*Hearing a moan and then a large crack....and then feeling the relief that the tree that had gone down was behind our fence

*Hearing another transformer blow and knowing, this time, it was ours

*Watching my youngest son sleep through the entire storm as if God put ear plugs in those precious ears

*Laying on the floor with my man and oldest son listening to the crackle of our weather radio and ALL our son's questions

*Drifting off to sleep around 6 am and the phone ringing...an anxious family member on a different time zone that just needed to hear our voices before she got on an airplane to London

*Seeing with our eyes, what we had heard with our ears, as the morning broke

*John Tyler, in his innocence, asking if we could to The Egg and I for breakfast, not having any idea that 4.5 million people were without power and that INCLUDED The Egg and I

*Endless rain and more wind

*Venturing out to see how others had faired

*Pine trees much taller than houses upended and many wedged in house, on powerlines and through garages

*Neighbors working side by side, in the rain, to clear downed trees and endless branches from each others' yards

*Watching my sons work alongside their dad, clearing branches and serving their neighbors, with enormous grins on their faces

*Receiving the endless amount of text messages from friends and family checking in and their endless offers to shelter and use generators until our power was restored

*My man marveling at how women WILL find a way to use their 50, 000 words...if even by text message

*Remembering to check our CallNotes yesterday and having 10 messages...all from the day after Ike, right as day was breaking

There are more glances but so many of you lived those very days with me in another part of town. Over 500,000 are still without power and those who have yet to see if their homes even still exists. There are people that have such great needs and are not complaining one bit. Remarkable survival skills, remarkable perspective.

Lord, please help me to remember this experience and let it shape my future reactions to situations and challenges. Please do not let this fresh perspective fade. And help those with the greatest of needs to remember, YOU have not forgotten them. Amen