first light

I woke up today early and had a bag leak due to pancaking.  I changed it and went back to sleep.  All I saw after a day of rain and wind was a few pecan limbs laying willy nilly out in the yard.  Others, however, woke to find that their lives are changed forever by Helene.  They have lost their homes, businesses, lives, and much much more.  What is so scary to me about this storm is that it moved so far inland and created havoc.  It is the inconvenient truth that Al Gore warned us about years ago.  Our infrastructure is crumbling and nobody cares.  At least nobody in charge.  

As a country, we put out fires when disaster happens rather than investing in pro-active measures.  FEMA. National Guard. All the things that do search and rescue when something goes bad wrong.  Imagine a world where dams are repaired before they bust and flood towns.  I live about 15 miles from the Mighty Mississippi and have seen my share of flooding and such.  Much of this disaster is man made and due to poor oversight of resources.  Back in the 60s the Forked Deer river was channeled by the corp to prevent the yearly floods that plagued Samaria Bend Rd.  It feeds into the Mississippi and Obion so when one floods all the others do as well.  I remember as a child going to town to live for a week when the water got too high to navigate.  On more than one occasion.  Even when I lived on a hill, when the river flooded in 2010 and 2011 the road was not passable.  

The river makes for rich farm land in the bottoms but is normally not ready to plant until late May or early June except for higher elevations.  By August those bottoms are pure dust in the wind.  I have lived here most of my life and seen the changes from year to year.  There are levees in place now to protect the crop land following a few blowouts.  Bubba took me down to see the work going on several years ago.  It cost a fortune I'm sure.  

Reaves is living in a new house that is bigger and probably pretty strange to her right now.  I miss her and I miss Lauren.  My vision is getting worse by the day which means it's hard to write and hard to drive.  Hell it's hard to see what's on the counter or the desk!  I tend NOT to whine but sometimes you just gotta' vent.  Much of my physical health is related to my life choices and genetics.   Having an emergency ileocolostomy five years ago put me into renal disease which has a whole 'nother set of problems.  I get my labs done on a regular basis and right now my creatinine is a bit high and my GFR is low.  But, it's better than it was two years ago.  I think my biggest problem right now is that I am B vitamin deficient.  Since the pills don't digest well considering my gut situation, I'm getting a shot every month.  We shall see.

I am asking for prayer right now for many people.  One of them is my friend Lorna who is suffering mightily.  If you read the list in the DFUMC newsletter, you know she has been there for months and months.  Keep praying people.  This woman needs some peace ^j^