A Late Night...

10:42 pm. Now, granted, this is not what many would call "late." My husband would though as he is typically asleep around 9pm. He's an early riser, so I can't blame him. I, on the other hand, could stay up into the wee hours. This is my quiet time. My time to reflect on my day, get in touch with my thoughts, and evaluate things. Sometimes that involves simply getting into my pj's, grabbing some water, and watching the news. Other times it is sitting here in front of the computer, emptying my mind of all the things that are weighing on my mind. Which reminds me -

SW Wisconsin has received more rain than they can handle over the past few weeks. Massive flooding has destroyed a lot of that area, and people are being left homeless. When we see coverage of these kinds of disasters on the news, we react with shock, sadness, even relief that it wasn't our home, family, or friends that were affected. I can admit to that when Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This time though, it is a little different. A dear friend of mine, Theresa, is from SW Wisconsin. Her parents and her brother still live there. At least they did...until the floods destroyed their homes and they lost everything they had. Only the four corners of their foundations remained intact. The rest of what was left of the houses has washed away and the only hope to rebuild is if they do so eight feet higher than they initially were. These families have to start again after a generation of living in the same place. They are forced to find a new place to live, a new way of living, and all in a short period of time. Many at our church have offered to to go and help with the clean up efforts, but we were told Sunday that the homes have been condemned. The only efforts that will be allowed are those to scrape away the debris and allow the residents to begin again. That is if they are willing and able to do so.

I ask this of my faithful friends, please keep Theresa's family in your prayers.

May God watch over them during this difficult time, and may His gentle hand work this for the good of all.

Amen.

Click here for examples of the damage: http://sevenels.net/flood/07flood.html