Happy, Thankful and Listening to the Sounds of Recovery

As I type this I hear helicopters fly overhead. This is a constant sound as news crews and rescue workers travel. Fire truck and police sirens now. Ike left his mark.

When we evacuated from Rita (pre-children), I packed photos and momentos, computers, cats, nick-nacks, whatever would fit in two cars. While surveying my house before the Ike evacuation, I just saw “stuff”. It is cliché, but everything is just stuff now. My main priority was packing enough food, clothes and entertainment for my kids. Getting my cats into 2 cages was also high on my stress list.

I am now at home. We don’t have water, our roof needs to be replaced and our pool is a funky shade of teal with shingles and whatnot at the bottom… and I couldn’t be more relieved. I am so lucky. I’m so surprised that my house is still here and so sick that some of my friends are going through so much.

My goal this week is to work and stay out of the way of rescue and relief workers. I have gas in my car and food in the pantry. I have enough water in the bathtubs and in containers to last for awhile. I’ll go to a friend’s house in a bit to upload this post.

*hammering sounds… more tarps going on roofs*

It is good to see the best come out in people. The worst is visible, too… but thankfully it isn’t rampant. I’ve seen the kindness of strangers and neighbors. I’ve seen coworkers show up at work to feed people. I’ve also seen the bad – the streets are dangerous. Emotionally charged drivers are distracted and upset. They run through intersections whose lights were taken by Ike.

*neighbor at the front door… he left replacement slats for our fence… salvaged from someone else’s fence… so nice!*

I miss the girls – They’re safe in Austin. Ana and Keira will play with their cousin until there is enough gas, water and safety to come home. Meanwhile, I’m boiling water to clean out the fridge.

I’m lucky to have my home and my “stuff”… but not for the reasons I would have wished for before kids. Now, I’m thankful that my girls have a home to come back to. I’m thankful that I don’t need to find temporary housing for my family. In fact, I’m just thankful for my family. They’re safe and sound. And that is all that matters.