On Isaac..

  For the past few days, I have been amazed at the lengths some people go to in our area for "storm prep." From lines wrapping around gas stations, to plastic bags covering the pumps.. from lines wrapping through Wal-mart, to the aisles being stripped bare of water, bread, and well, mostly junk food... from kids at school frantically proclaiming the "high winds" (breeze), to school being cancelled for two days, and now at 11:30, we have yet to see a drop of rain...

   The reality of it is, here in Podunk, USA, we are some 330 miles inland from the coast. By the time Isaac reaches us, he will have weakened, quite possibly,  even to a tropical depression. Although we are expecting wind gusts upward of 20 MPH, we reach that in a normal thunderstorm at times. I can't tell you how many trees have been uprooted in my back yard over the years, and we've only seen one hurricane (Gustav, 2008) since we've been here.

   I don't understand the people here who are pushing 2 carts around the store; one filled with 8 cases of water, and the other piled high with junk food. I don't really understand the need to fill up the truck, 4-wheeler, boat, and 6 gas cans. (No, that is not an exxaggeration. I saw that with my own eyes.) I don't know why 2 5-lb bags of ice should cost $10, and I don't know why gas has climbed to $4.06/gallon. I find all of this to be absolutely insane; sensationalism.

   Now, all those things being said, I don't mean that you shouldn't be prepared for the storm. I cannot begin to imagine how those people in NOLA and the surrounding areas must feel being slammed once again by storm surge 7 years to the day they were slammed by Katrina. I don't know the fear or flood of emotions that those residents (and former residents) face as they flip through the channels on TV and see images that call to mind images of the past.... images that they wish were dreams rather than memory. But... I don't think absolute insanity helps anything.

   Yes, I hope and pray that those affected by the worst of this slow-moving storm are prepared. If in flood prone areas, I would hope they would have evacuated if possible. I pray they have the supplies they need, as nearly 300,000 are currently without power. I would hope they would have stocked up on enough essentials to last a few days. And hey, here, too. In a rural area, the possibility of wind always means the possibility of power outage...

But c'mon. 330 miles inland, how many cases of water and twinkies do you really need?

We are slated to get some rain around 1:00... I'll probably "evacuate" to my mom's around 3 (before anything other than light rain happens) simply because I don't want to be alone with the possibility of a tree on my roof if the winds get gusty. We will have a case of water, some soup we prepared yesterday, and bread and lunch meat. We have plenty of batteries, candles, flashlights, and books to read. The ipads are charged, as are the cell phones. My car is parked safely in the garage, and I'll be taking the truck. Puppy girl has plenty of food, and she's ready for her short journey to visit her puppy relatives.

Stay calm and be well my friends! Stay off the roads once the winds and rain get up, and take care of your pets. Isaac may not be a monster, but being safe is always best. ....just not if it requires 17 cases of water. ;)

So Small (A re-post from my friend)

My friend, Kelli, always has the most beautiful, poignant things to say. Here's one "tiny" insight she has gleaned from the upcoming storm. Please, read and enjoy.

So, I’m sitting on the patio enjoying the PRESENTLY beautiful weather. If I didn’t know what was coming, I’d just be enjoying a break from Louisiana’s stagnant summer air.

But, I think ahead and I smile a light grin. You know, that grin that recognizes foolishness and silently thinks, “You’ll figure it out.” Yeah, that one.

I think what a silly creature I am. And, I seriously mean “creature” as in a life CREATED, with love and purpose, for reasons and plans that change things during my stay and hopefully, make them better.

A storm’s coming and I immaturely look forward to it. It spans hundreds of miles, affects millions of people and I’m sitting, waiting for more wind, much rain and at least a day-long power outage. And I think, “How arrogant you are, tiny thing.”

It would take millions of me to fill its expanse. I could NEVER equal a remnant of its power and with numerable lifetimes, I could only hope to impact the numbers of people it will encompass. I AM SMALL!

Still, the Biggest, the Most Wonderful, the Most Loving, the Most Intelligent, the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful, the Victor, the Sacrifice, the ULTIMATE LOVE knows me. I am seen. I was created. I was loved to death. I was forgiven to life. I am saved to eternity. I am completely known, and yet, wholly accepted.

I am humbled. I wonder if I appear to Him as an ant might to me….miniscule, busy, ignorant of His presence, focused on survival and so very temporary.

But, I remember the cross. And I know I am much more than small. I am worth dying for.

I will never understand it. But, believing it is one of His great gifts to me.

Enjoy the breeze, small ones. Be safe, and know you are loved. :)

Black and Gold Recap

  Well, on a much lighter note than my previous two posts, I spent the weekend between Canton, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. Let me just get this out of the way now: Although I love to travel, I hate almost everything there is to hate about Ohio, and Pennsylvania (or the part I've been to,) is not much better. However, OH does hold 2 things that I do love: My sweet Keithy (he's there for work right now,) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

     First on Keith: I hadn't seen him in a month. A MONTH! Even with the advent of such technology as Skype and Facetime, we hadn't seen each other. He's in the hills, and they don't have consistent internet service. (It's on satellite, and it's terrible.) I was SO happy to see him, but when I did, I didn't recognize him at first, and then I cried like a baby. I'm sure a lot of it was exhaustion, -- it was well after midnight when he picked me up-- and a lot of it was the sheer emotion from not having seen him for some time. He looked SO different. His voice sounded different. For one thing, he's lost a lot of weight since he went up there. For another, he needed a haircut and a beard trim something fierce. I swear, he looked like something out of the Jeremiah Johnson movie. (Side note: We went to Wal-Mart the next morning and bought a set of clippers, and I made him pretty again. I've got skillz like that.)

    Anyway, after our (not so glorious at first reunion,) we had a fun-filled weekend planned. We spent Saturday getting pedicures (yes, he LOVES those!) and hanging around Pittsburgh. Then we drove back to the house his parents have been renting up there to hang out a while. We hit a cool little drive in type place.... until it made us sick. lol.. whoops. On Sunday, we went to the church he's been attending while he's been there, and let me just say... He looked SO different after my impromptu makeover that the people didn't recognize him! He had to tell them who he was! (And there were all of 50 people in that building total, it's not like they wouldn't have noticed him before.)

     After church Sunday, we went back to the house to ready ourselves... I donned #28 and he put on #80. That's right, folks. It's back to football. WHO DAT!?

      We drove up to Canton, which is only about 26 miles from where he's staying. We had to run to Wal-Mart beforehand, and let me just tell you that I have never in my life been stared at so much as when wearing a Saints jersey in Browns country! It was ridic! I mean, I'm surprised I don't have holes burned through my head. Then, we did the sketchiest thing I've ever done in my life: We paid some guy $20 to park in his yard. I guess that's how they do it in Canton, though, bc everybody had signs in their yard, "Park here! $20!" "Game Parking $35.00!" So, some guy in a black beater and a weird looking headset pulled us up into his yard where no less than 10 vehicles of people were tailgaiting... and we were parked to a car with a license plate that said they lived no more than 50 miles from us. All the way in Canton, OH. Crazy!

      We walked across to the stadium, and finally got in after standing there for about half an hour. The players were warming up.... and you could walk down there and watch! SCORE! Two times in less than I year I have been on the sideline for warmups! It was fantastic. Thomas Morstead is a beautiful man, folks. Don't believe me? Look it up. And nicest guy ever. He signed stuff for all the little kids for no less than 20 minutes. I holla'ed at him, and he looked straight in my eyes and grinned a big toothy grin and waved at me. And I'm pretty sure I melted into the turf. Keith made fun of me.

      Then Drew came out, did some signing for kids for a long time. He was like, 3 people from me, but then he got mobbed. He was super gracious and just as nice as he seems. Got some great close-ups of Drew, Thomas, Lance Moore, Jimmy Graham, Mark Ingram, Junior Gallette, Cam Jordan, Chris Ivory, Johnny Patrick, Patrick Robinson, Andy Tanner (rookie,the) Darren Sproles, Chase Daniel, Jonathan Casillas, Malcolm Jenkins, Marques Colston, and many, many more. Keith just has to email them to me... we put them on his computer.

      And then it was game time! It was like a comedy of errors. The "real" refs weren't there because they are trying to renegotiate contracts, so we had the replacements. They didn't call the coinflip right. They missed a blatant horse collar. They called a timeout to review EVERYTHING! They reassessed a penalty THREE TIMES before they even got it on the right team! It was insane.

      I know the HOF game is a meaningless exhibition, a preview into even the pre-season, but here's what I came away with: Drew is Drew. He's fantastic. Offense drove straight down the field against Arizona's 1st string-defense to an immediate score. Garrett Hartley is back doing his thing, and he's in good shape. John Kasay can still boot a long field goal like a boss. Thomas Morstead is still "The Leg" and deserved every bit of his contract extension. The O-Line is getting there, but they can use some shaping up. That's what the pre-season is for, and I believe they'll get better. Running backs look good. Wide receivers are good. Sproles is the Flash reincarnated. Defense had 2 picks and 4 sacks. They took out the 1st string QB in the first quarter (accidentally, of course, but here comes the bounty talk round 2!) They have a lot to shape up, but so far it appears Spags is doing a great job.

      The backup QBs are terrible. Daniel has a good arm, but no instinct. Canfield is typical 3rd string. McCown didn't play, so I can't speak for him really, but how bad do you have to be to be behind Canfield? It can't be good, folks. Andy Tanner looks good as a rookie WR. Gallette fared well. Vilma is missed, but Casillas is a good fit.

      All in all, things are looking good for the WHO DAT NATION come September, so one thing's for sure:

                                           Bounty or no bounty, dey comin'. Believe dat.

Chick-Fil-A and a nation divided..

     I told myself I wouldn't weigh in on the Chick-Fil-A debate. I told myself, "I will not divide myself from my friends." But, here I am, blogging about it... a blog.. a quite public forum. Here is what I have to say about the situation. It will be brief, and I will try to be kind to all, regardless of belief.

     Is anyone really surprised that a Bible-believing man and his family, who own a business, which he closes on Sunday because it is the protestant Sabbath, supports an organization that is pro-straight marriage exclusively? I'm not. I don't understand why Mr. Cathy's stating his belief has shocked a nation. Wouldn't it be safe to assume that a Southern-Baptist man, strictly religious, would feel this way?

     Furthermore, his business is privately owned. If he wanted to use some of his earnings to support a Muslim family organization, would that be such a media circus? I mean, if I'm not mistaken, homosexuals are killed in some Muslim countries. Would support of a Muslim organization be more politically correct? (Please note than I am not Muslim-bashing, I am making a comparison based on some practices of some Muslim extremists.)

   And then we have the goverment officials who are almost threatening the Cathy family, daring them to try to open a business in their jurisdictions. My friends, this is a dangerous and slippery slope. My take is this: If an individual chooses, based upon his or her beliefs, not to patronize a business, he or she certainly has the right to do so. But by the same right, Mr. Cathy is able to support whatever organization he chooses using money earned from his business, as long as the organization isn't doing anything illegal. When government leaders squelch businesses based on the beliefs of the owners, though, we tread into unconstitutional territory. I find this to be particulary dangerous and disheartening when we are in a period of high unemployment rates. We must not forget that even though many do not agree with Mr. Cathy's position, his company employs thousands and thousands of people in our country. To do away with his business would be to our detriment.

     And if we do shut down his business, do we also shut down Wal-Mart, AutoZone, or any of the other prominent businesses whose owners contribute to the same organization as Dan Cathy? What about those employees?

   Regardless of your beliefs on gay marriage and the organizations Mr. Cathy supports, don't you think this is a scary time for commerce in our country? It scares me that we are coming to a point in time where good, honest commerce can be thwarted due to religious and moral beliefs. Wasn't our country founded on religious liberty? Or does that not count for conservative Christians?

    Whatever your take on the Chick-Fil-A debacle, I don't think Mr. Cathy's intent is hate. I think he is simply supporting an organization he believes worthy. I haven't heard him tell anyone they're going to hell, or that if you don't believe a certain way your aren't welcome, or that he hates anyone else due to their beliefs. That being said, if you choose not to do business with his company, that is your right, and I won't be the least bit upset, disappointed, shocked, or appalled. But please, if others DO choose to "eat mor chikin," allow them the same courtesy as well. In a time where ALL of our freedoms are tested and tried, allow a little grace toward someone who uses theirs differently than you might choose to do.