Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble."

Good morning. It's Monday, September 17, 2018, and I am reporting to you live and in person from my home away from home, my workstation here at my day job. Ten years ago Hurricane Ike paid a visit to our street. We were not hit by rising waters. The wife and I were hunkered down for hours as the more than 100 MPH sustained winds raged. So many homes impacted by Ike were inundated with flood waters. We were high and dry. However, we took a tree into our upstairs that essentially opened our roof and through that opening we took in 18 inches of rain. Our ceilings collapsed and we experienced extensive damage. We were blessed in the way our loss occurred. Because of the type of damage we sustained, our homeowner's policy covered our loss. Over the next six months, we dealt with a myriad of challenges. As many of my readers know, the details were gutwrenching. I'll not rehearse them again but suffice it to say that we, at times, wondered if we would make it through all that happened. We said at the time and we continue to say today: Only by God's grace. Period, end of story. We know that God provided for us during this challenging time and our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, and, their sense of well being. We see almost every day the continuing saga of those still trying to recover from last year's devastating storm, Hurricane Harvey. Now we have the folks over on our east coast who are dealing with the aftermath from Florence. I pray that God will be close to those who are downhearted and hurting. I pray that in the midst of it all they would experience the peace that only He can give. Amen.

I can remember as a freshly minted 15-year-old how our area of Louisiana was flooded due to the 1961 Hurricane, Carla. Our house was high and dry but we were surrounded by a lake. What do kids do when they have a water wonderland surrounding their home? They get out there and play. That's what we did. I don't think it was deep enough for us to swim but close enough. Back then we didn't have the 24-hour news cycle constantly reminding everyone of the dangers that threatened anyone who would venture out. I'm sure those waters stirred up some snakes but I don't recall seeing any of them and I certainly don't think we were concerned about them. I'm not attempting to fault those who warn us of inherent dangers. But, for us kids, I suppose, being dumb and uninformed, we had a blast. Today, we live in a cocoon of second by second warning. Over time we all become conditioned to this environment. We begin to operate with these things in mind. We warn ourselves, we warn others, we call to make sure our grandchildren are aware, and it goes on and on. I thought of all of this last Friday morning as I watched a live feed of the coverage of Hurricane Florence. The on-scene live shots were what we have become accustomed to seeing, switching from one reporter to another, all of them strategically placed to be holding on for their lives about to be swept away. I bet had we seen that type of coverage back when Carla came through we would have all been stuck inside the house. Balance. That is all I am talking about.

I suppose today's episode is my contribution to the much-maligned opening sentence, "It was a dark and stormy night." Some critics consider it to be the worst sort of opening line while others rank it as being pretty high on the list of the best. I know the feeling. The worst ranking, anyway. I know the Dickens' line, "It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times...", from his 'A Tale of Two Cities', is thought to be perhaps the greatest opening line. I guess it is in the eye of the beholder. For our purposes today, that would be my readers. I report. You decide. Or, do what I often do, pass. I read an obituary the other day and the fellow had left instructions to make sure everyone knew that he made it through a long and well-lived life and to his knowledge never used algebra. I know what some of you are thinking. He had better be glad the folks building the highways and bridges he traveled did understand mathematical principles. I thought of that one myself. I am fascinated when I see young marrieds who feel compelled to pass on to others their discovered secrets to a happy marriage. I see them posting these on social media. They have been married maybe two years. Hello? I suppose they just want to help out. Good for them. Keep at it and give me a call in another 50 years. Just joking. Have yourself a blessed rest of the day and I will do my best to catch back up with you come tomorrow morning. Until then, may God bless us all. Amen. ....More later.