Terrapin Station

I want to go to Mississippi!

My church has adopted an Episcopal church in Mississippi.  We are among 7 churches who will be "officially" helping Trinity Church, Pass Christian (I'm sure there are many others!).  I would link to their website, but it's gone right now.  Here is a link to another great site with info on the history of the church and some photos. 

The church building, also, is gone right now.  They have some frame left of the sanctuary, but I understand that the Parish Hall and Christian Ed building are completely gone.  This is a church that has been ministering in Pass Christian for 156 years, and was completely destroyed by Hurricane Camille in 1969.  They rebuilt it in 1971.  Wasn't it beautiful: 

and it will be again!  Note that I do not say that the church is gone, because it's surely there, my friends. 

We are collecting specific items:  underwear, cleaning supplies, canned food, etc.  ...and a group from the church will road trip over there to take it.  I want to go with!  Ken and I hope to be able to drive the motor home -- we can take some other people that way, too.  Hopefully we'll also be able to do some work with the folks there, as well. 

AND, AND, maybe I could even see St. Casserole if she's home?  I don't think she's too far from there......  :) 

Take me out to the ball game...

Here are some of my exchange students at the Texas Rangers game:

And with a new friend:

The Further I go, the Behinder I get

Hidy,

(That's what my college roommate Jo Ann always used to say.  Combination of Howdy and Hi.  She also addressed all men as "Sir," whether they were her age, older or younger.  She did NOT address women as "Ma'am" unless they were old.)

Why am I telling you all this!?  Who knows. 

Just trying to get back on track with life and things like kitchen, laundry, desktop visible.  Dang it's easy for that stuff to get away from me, but when it does, it's katy bar the door.  I worked all day last Saturday and seem to have very little to show for it.  And didn't get my cleaning, etc. done. 

Feeling rather overwhelmed.  Had a candidate for my boss's job on campus Monday, and yesterday we interviewed people for a new advisor position in my office.  Good stuff but a bit draining. 

This Saturday we have an ordination, then I will be entertaining out of town visitors.  Sunday is the first day of our week-long Francisican teaching mission at church.  That day we have regular service, Blessing of the Animals in afternoon, and Evensong by the Chamber Singers in pm.  Each subsequent evening of the week we have dinner and a mission service. 

Talk about your really dangerous ANTICLIMAX

Now that Hurricane Rita has veered east and has so far done her damage mostly in Louisiana (again) -- poor Lake Charles -- poor, poor New Orleans -- people will say, "Well!  Why did we bother to evacuate!  This storm got weaker at the end, and it didn't even do much in Houston, nor in Galveston."  Nor in Denton, where a huge college fair and an airshow to benefit Katrina victims were cancelled due to impending bad weather.  On Wednesday, NOAA predictions had the storm's path headed directly for us, with a Category One hurricane stalling over this area by tonight.  We have Houston refugees here at UNT.  And it's barely rained. 

Now that "nothing happened," I'm afraid that people will get slack and lazy again.  What if we have another hurricane next week?  Will all of Houston be so quick to jump back on the highway?  Bet not.

Thanks to all who prayed for my family.  I talked to my sister today; the rehab facility director decided that she would NOT put her residents on a bus (thank you!) and instead boarded up and kept everyone there.  My sister's home didn't even lose power; my cousins and aunt & uncle have tree limbs down. 

I know the people of Lake Charles and the families of those killed in the bus explosion need our support, prayers, and help.   

Car Wreck in Slow Motion

Thanks to Reverend Mother for the image.  That's exactly what it's like, waiting for this storm to hit. 

My Houston sister e-mailed this morning.  Her mother is in a local rehab facility since breaking her hip a few weeks ago; the center planned to stay open and indicated that they had plenty of supplies, generators, etc.  So my sister & brother and their families were staying in Houston (not that they could have gotten out if they'd tried...)

BUT, late last night, the rehab center called to say that their corporate offices had decided to evacuate all their residents to Fort Worth on buses.  Barbara said she couldn't feature sending her mom (who also has Alzheimer's) away on a bus, so she was headed to the center this morning to bring Beverly to her house.  Please keep them in your prayers; this will likely be a difficult situation. 

We woke up to the news this morning of the bus fire killing 24 elderly evacuees south of Dallas. 

It's looking like the hurricane will go farther east than Houston, for which thank God...can you imagine the effect on all those thousands of people stuck in traffic if the storm came right over them?  (But we may still get to see this). 

My grocery store is out of water (250 miles north of the coast).

When will we wake up from THIS nightmare?

Y'all Come On Up Here!

It is unbelievable that we are facing another hurricane, but here it comes. 

This is a super fast message to say:

If you are currently in the Houston / Galveston area, GET UP HERE!!!  I am not kidding!  I want to see you at my house, whether I have met you or not.  Get on I-45 and head north.  At some point, stop and call my cell phone (940-206-6138), and I will give you directions.  Quotidian Grace, this means YOU! and your family.

We have a spare room with twin beds, a motor home that sleeps 6, and plenty of floor and couch space.

My Houston sister has just e-mailed back to a similar offer to say that she has promised her mother (who is in a rehab facility) that she will not leave the city.  So, would you please keep my Houston-area family (Beverly, Barbara, Dean, Don, Marian, Katie, Kelly, Oliver, Emily, John, Jane & Mark) in your prayers, along with all the many thousands of other people who, it looks like, will be affected. 

I Got Stuff to SAY!

Suddenly, my mind is FULL!  Of any number of things about which to blog! 

Unfortunately, this is because I must clean up the house this evening and tomorrow, in preparation to host an ice-cream social for my exchange students on Sunday.  Does that ever happen to you?  Like, when you were in college and needed to study for finals, but you ended up making brownies, and then it suddenly became insanely important to clean out the hall closet?

Please tell me I'm not the only one!

A few years ago I was hosting my family for Thanksgiving, and that morning I was compelled (apparently by the Dear Lord Himself) to straighten out all of my dresser drawers.  And, I definitely don't have the sort of family that would look in there!  ... you get the drift.

So.  My commitment to myself is that I shall not write again, NEITHER shall I read (other blogs), until I have AT LEAST my weekly home blessing done.  See you later! 

Hurricane Lilies

Just now, I woke up from a nightmare about being in the aftermath of a hurricane (not the storm itself).  Slogging around all the time in the mud and the tremendous destruction.  I became angry at Brandon because he was wasting food (realize that this may have more to do with my own food issues than with a hurricane!)  When I woke up, my arms ached from squeezing a pillow.

But here's the thing:

I woke up.

And as we know, thousands of folks in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama wake up each day from their nightmares - to more nightmares.   

Two days ago I was driving up Malone Street and saw something that caused my heart to smile - briefly.  I said to myself, "Oh!  The Hurricane lilies are here!"  And in the next instant I realized that, from now on, hurricane lilies will, from now on, mean Hurricane Katrina to me, and I cried again.

I had some in the yard of our old house, but not at this house.  I love them for their riotously baroque delicacy and beauty, and for their announcement of fall - scattered amid the falling leaves that begin to carpet lawns at this time of year.  They come up entirely unexpectedly, with no leaves first, so all of a sudden, one day, there they are.  And they naturalize, so they come up in places you didn't anticipate, either.  I bet they are appearing in the destroyed yards across the Gulf Coast now, too, where the wreckage permits. 

Is it stretching things too far to think that perhaps the lilies are like the small blessings that are popping up in the lives of our friends affected by this tragedy?  And maybe a reminder that there will be beauty at the other end? 

I don't know.  But I do know that I need to get some, to remember every year.  Maybe I'll go down the street tomorrow, and ask the sweet lady with so many if I could dig a few. 

God's Family

The Order of the Daughters of the King, to which I was recently admitted, considers itself a sisterhood.  We have a rule of prayer, study and service which we observe individually and in our local chapters.  Of course, there is a national/international governing body with a convention, etc. It's an Episcopal organization with chapters in the Roman, ELCA, Anglican churches (and soon, perhaps, others). 

In the last weeks there has been a flood of postings on our Yahoo! group (which is not officially affiliated with DOK National) about sisters living in hurricane-struck areas, how we can help them, prayers, etc.  And, predictably, some of the latest ones have been forwards of politically based commentary on the Federal, local, etc. response to Katrina (or lack thereof...).  Something that, having used electronic communications for many years, I FLINCH when I see, because I know some people are going to get very upset.  And they did, too. 

Doing Better

Those of you who watch this space avidly will be wondering if I've jumped out of the window.  I'm pleased to say that I have NOT, and am actually feeling a little bit better. 

It's been interesting to try to explain this depressive episode to my husband.  He has had severe situational depression due to life events, but never the kind that you can't explain.  He tries, but he just doesn't get it.  He loves me and kisses and hugs me, which helps!  But (sadly) that is not the solution.  I've felt like I was filled with wet cotton, exhausted, not caring about anything.  Just getting dinner on the table has been a problem some nights.  What helped, this time?  Keeping on.  Doing the next right thing.  Putting one foot in front of the other.  Et cetera....

I became aware that I was actually feeling more like myself yesterday, as I advised a student interested in study abroad.  He told me that it had been a long-term goal of his, and said to me, "I just feel like I am so closed-minded, I've lived in North Texas all my life and I've got to see some new things and places." 

This is why I do this work - to see the spark as students become aware of a world outside the DFW Metroplex and of themselves as part of that larger world.  SHAZAM!!

Bulletins as they occur.