Skateboards and Storms of Life

 

 

In the past two months this is my favorite shot.  My nephew David and I had a photoshoot and this was, as he would say, Money.  This is the shot we both were looking for.

 

 

Wow it has been almost two months since I have written!  Little did I know the last time I wrote it would be the next day that Daddio went to be with Jesus in heaven.  Fishing pole in hand, I am sure he is fishing in a heavenly river, looking down upon us with a smile.  I am also sure he is worshiping Jesus and he is no longer in pain or discomfort.

Everyone is dealing with the grief in different ways.  For me I think I just got really busy and then about two weeks ago everything just kind of hit.  I mean, in this two month time:

I got sick with allergies for two weeks.  The tree pollen hit me like a brick.  Flonase was my friend and when I started taking that I got some huge relief.  But having to work outside for most of that time was miserable.  But I made it.

We had a tree fall in our backyard that hit all but one car during a storm with 100 mph straight line winds.

 

We had just gotten back home and were watching TV when the alerts on our phone went off.  The sirens did not go off, we found out later they malfunctioned.  So I went to look outside from my studio and I saw the funnel cloud (they said a tornado never touched down but went over us) and the trees actually rotating in circles.  I am no stranger to tornado's or storms, but being in the midst of it was surreal.  Then everything got eerie quiet and calm.  And then the straight line hit and I heard the cracking of a tree.  Having worked in landscaping I am all too familiar with the sound.  I was hoping it was just a big limb.  Instead I began to see the tree you see in the photo begin to fall. As the storm raged past us I went outside to inspect the damage.  I had a dent and a broken rear quarter window but Ginger's car was, as we would find out later, totaled.  In fact all the car's above were totaled.  That night our next door neighbor and I spent a few hours cutting limbs so I could get my truck out and Ginger's for the insurance.  Was so thankful for him and his chainsaw.  We have known each other since we have been here and have always helped each other out.  The whole neighborhood looked like a war zone.

The insurance process was crazy.  I learned some things.  There is a storm response number and then there is your agent.  When we called that night we got storm response which made things complicated when we called our agent.  But thankfully we have a wonderful agent and Megan helped us navigate through a mine field.  We ended up driving the car to get it assessed because of a huge problem with towing, but we survived and we got a really good settlement.

So then we navigated through getting a new car.  Been since 1990 since I had navigated this trail myself.  I won't get into all the details but I will give a brief summary.  We found the car we wanted.  Ginger's cousin Price best friend works for one of the dealerships and referred us.  I had no idea what I was doing, but thankfully I do now.  We were overcharged heavily on some things.  When Price learned of this he called his friend and we got the deal reworked at a much better price.  At one time there were two loans out because the first paperwork went through.  Two weeks of calling the dealership and finance company, this week we finally got everything worked out.  We are so thankful for Price and Dustin and the help they gave us.  FYI, I know how to buy a car now lol, the right way.  Sometimes, through our mistakes, we learn the right way lol.

Through all of this I have been working.  In some respects my mind was not in it.  I have my boss trying to get me to go back to the CR he is a leader at.  But with all of the above going on I have needed to have a break from phone calls and problems.  I have just needed a weekend to be able to relax without being concerned over insurance, car loans, and the craziness that life has brought.  And this last couple of weeks saw my depression plummet and my mood being low.  I told Ginger on Friday I just needed a weekend where I could just rest.  

I can thankfully say that is what I have gotten.  Actually I went after work Friday night and helped friends move some stuff.  I enjoyed it.  Stress free for me really.  Go grab a box or furniture and take it into the house.  I should say that these friends are some of our closest friends.  The type I could call at 2 am and say I needed help and they would be there.  They were hoping we could get a quarter of the truck unloaded.  We got the whole thing unloaded.  Nathan is a beast!

Then Saturday morning I went and had breakfast with my best friend and his wife.  A nice time being able to sit and just talk, not about heavy stuff, but just relax and visit.  

And then we had date night.  I treated myself to a steak, Ginger salmon, and we had a very relaxing night with just Ginger, Sophie and I.  This morning we watched church and are going out to lunch with Ginger's Mom.  So far this has been the weekend I have wanted.

Also, I was called this last week about learning something called Glide (making apps without code).  What opportunities that will open I do not know but I do see God's hand in this.

In fact, let me state that all the above I can see God's hand in it all.  He protected us in the storm.  He helped me heal from allergies.  In the end, He had all the insurance and car loan taken care of.  He guided all of us through the funeral and everything that needed to happen after.  God did not take away these storms (or I like to think of it as a big storm) but He certainly did not abandon us during it.  Through every rain drop and what felt like hail or even a tornado at times, God walked, no carried us, through it.  I am so thankful.  I wish I could tell you I handled all this perfectly.  But I'd be lying.  I worried, made myself sick at times with concern, and my faith seemed to waver at times.  But God is faithful.  He never left.  

And something else.  Ginger and I have talked about where my faith is lacking hers is strong and vice versa.  So we have been able to lean on each other.  Friday when I called her and began crying, she just let me get it out.  It had finally gotten to a point I needed to get it out.  I had talked to my Dad and, well, I missed him and Mom terribly.  I felt like I was on an island, everyone far away. The fact is, I have people around me (I am thinking of you Bubba) who are willing to be there and help, I just have to reach out.

My head space now is so much healthier.   I fixed our dryer this weekend with a $6 part.  The handyman is back!  And I have gotten some really good sleep.  I am looking forward to a nap this afternoon.  The heat in Texas is back but in a few months I am going to start seeing Halloween and Fall Festival decorations begin coming out and I am going to get excited.  Though I have Seasonal Affective Disorder with Summer, I am looking to see what I can do to make the impact of it less.  

Work, well, work is a work in progress.  God is guiding me, though He is not letting me see too far ahead, which is probably good lol!  My prayer is that I have the courage to take the steps that He lays out before me whatever that may look like.  But God is good.  And God is faithful.  And if there is one thing I have learned in the past few months, God never wastes a hurt.  He has shown me His love.  I am beyond blessed I just need to heed His words, not look at the wind and waves, not be so fearful, but rely completely on Him.  If I can do that, I will flourish and maybe, for a time, I can walk on the water like Peter did.

 

Baa

P.S.  I have lots of pictures piling up.   I have been taking a LOT of pictures.  I need to start sitting at my computer and start culling through them and getting the best one's out.  Hopefully I will be putting a lot on the blog in the coming months!