I woke yesterday with plans to build my wife four large planter boxes and had purchased the materials the day before, thinking the lumberyard in our small town might be closed on Independence Day, that's the kind of people they are. I got my project underway and was about half way done when I found out about the flooding and my wife told me that a family from our small church had not been heard from. Both of my daughters had been trying to call them. A husband and wife and two sons, their ages are 5 and a year and a half. Their daughter was at another camp and is safe. Supposed to have been picked up by her family today to go home.
Really close friends of all of my children, especially the two girls and some of my grandchildren were very close. Same soccer team, each others birthday parties attended by the whole lot of them, crawfish boils, etc. This family had the need for a helping hand when they first moved here, and the church folks and community rose to the occasion and they put down roots and became part of the crew. Recent health issues by the mom necessitated others rising to the occasion once again. Not that that makes anyone a hero, nor wanting or needing a pat on the back, but just shows the closeness folks have for other folks. A lot of people do that.
I am old and one thing I look out for is when there is some sort of get together that included food, I will volunteer to hold any really small child, so that the parents don't have to eat in shifts. And to give them a small window, even if only a half hour or hour to interact with friends without wrestling with a baby. Again, it is something many of us do, both my daughters do it all the time. I have done it for this family's youngest boy. I remember this one time the father kept coming over to where I sat holding his baby son and asking if he wanted me to take him. I could sense he was hoping I'd say no, I am fine, so he could get back to mingling. I told him we were fine like we were and to go enjoy himself.
The thought of all that weighed heavily on me all afternoon and into the night. We didn't have much of a get together for Independence Day, our girls just wanted to be home, waiting on word, and hopefully good news. As I was checking Facebook and this forum this morning, I got a text they had found the body of the husband, they are still searching for the rest of the family.
As bad as this has impacted me, I cannot imagine those, and those of you, who have family missing from this flooding. My heart goes out to you all and I pray that your loved one or loved ones are found and are alive and safe.
I keep having thoughts about this father trying to save his wife and family and being unable to do so.
If this is deemed a derail or inappropriate, just delete it, if necessitates a ban, go for it. Guess I just needed to ramble.
