I had an “emergency post” ready to pop in for my blog this week, in case I wasn’t able to write a regular one. Here’s how it would have started:

“If you’re reading this, it means our power is out due to the hurricane – again.”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to use it. Although we were in the path of Hurricane Michael, it didn’t hit us as hard as Irma did last year, knocking down trees and power lines, and leaving us without water or electricity for almost a week – which was still nothing compared to what many others went through.

This year, we had a day of heavy rain and wind, and our power went out briefly in the middle of the night. But other than that and some yard clean-up the next day, we weren’t really affected by the storm – unlike so many areas that felt the full wrath of Hurricane Michael.

Still, it felt like “déjà vu all over again” as we prepared for the storm. And as we responded to family and friends in other parts of the country who were checking in with us to make sure we were okay. And as we touched base with the people we knew who had homes in the areas of Florida expected to be the hardest hit.

As I did last year after Irma – not to mention Harvey and Maria, and more recently following Hurricane Florence – I am now shaking my head in sorrow for the victims, and in awe of the destructive power of nature. I am praying for those who have lost their homes or their loved ones, and for those who are working night and day to rescue survivors and to restore and rebuild whatever they can. I am also wondering why these violent storms continue to increase in frequency and severity.

And, as always, I am waiting, hoping, and praying for the sun to shine again.

October 12, 2018
©Betty Liedtke, 2018

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