Overflow

 

15 years ago, the State of Missouri experienced horrible flooding in many, many areas. Today, we are at the same point. Our church at the time, was a base for the American Red Cross as well as the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) Disaster Relief Organization. My parents would take my sister & me along with them to church to help prepare sandwiches, bags of chips, etc. We would then split up & hop aboard Red Cross vehicles (that look like ambulance vehicles) & head into the flooded areas to deliver the goods. Though that was a number of years ago, the memory is still strong in my mind & I'm grateful that my parents saw the value in our helping. As the waters rose here yet again, I wondered how I could play a part. Unfortunately, it seems that there is no such base this time around.

 

 

However, there was (& still is) a great need for food & water to be supplied. Last week, I collected such & on Saturday, my parents, Haley & I carried a whole van load of water, fruit, chips, etc. to Clarksville, MO. Clarksville is a small town about 60 miles N. of us. Though sandbagging efforts had ceased & the job was then to maintain & see what happened, the residents were quite appreciative of our coming to gift them with necessities. After dropping off the food & water, we drove around some more to look at the water. Such devestation. How I pray for all areas that have been flooded & for the people that will be cleaning up for a long time after.

A New Perspective

While in the ER this past Monday (I am fine--just had some stroke-like symptoms but all is well), something transpired that really got to me. As only a curtain separated me from the patient next to me, the older lady that had been there for hours was being moved to a room. Shortly after she left, a new patient was being brought in. This time, in handcuffs-picked up by the police for prostitution & possession of drug paraphernalia. You might ask why such an individual would be brought to the hospital rather than taken to the police station. Evidently, this patient claimed to be having seizures. As the nurses began to place seizure pads all around the woman, they also tried to insert her IV. My mom & I heard the nurse ask the patient what she had been using. We heard her say, "Heroine." The nurses tried for a good hour to get her IV in but her veins were so shot from the drug use that they were unable to do so. I do not want to say that I was finding the events comical because I was not at all. I was listening closely (just nosey) just trying to hear all that was going on...get the full scoop. The lady began to beg for the nurses to put the IV in her neck. They informed her they could not do that, the doctor would have to do so. It was not until a bit later that we heard that she was picked up for prostitution. As the nurses learned of this information from the police present, the patient began to speak in a voice full of shame. We could hear her say, "I'm not a bad person, I'm a good person", "Please don't judge me", "You don't know what it's like" and so forth. As I listened to this, I began to tear up. In all honesty, while I do not agree with prostitution at all, I've usually been quite judgemental of the prostitutes themselves. When I heard the lady making such comments, I felt ashamed for having had such an outlook on not only prostitutes but drug users. Sure, I've felt sorry for them before but it was not until the other day that I really thought about why these people do these things. I think of a song I used to sing years ago called "She Doesn't Know Jesus." The songs speaks of a young lady who has become pregnant & decides to get an abortion. The chorus says, "She doesn't know Jesus, she doesn't know grace. The only thing she knows she can do, is whatever it might take. We must let her know, she's the reason that He died. The reason that she does, is really all because, she doesn't know Jesus." I felt very convicted as I sat there on Monday evening. These people need to know that they are of worth; they are of value. They matter. Most importantly, they need to know that there is a God who loves them beyond measure & deeply desires a relationship with them. You might be curious as to what happened to this lady while I was there. After some time, she informed one of the nurses that she needed to use the restroom. She asked if she should take her purse with her & the nurse told her it was up to her. She took her purse with her, walked out & the nurse said, "Well, she won't be back." We later learned from the paramedic on call that brought her in that she did not have a seizure. Unfortunately, (according to the nurses) many individuals that are arrested will fake either a heart attack or seizure to get out of going to jail. As was the case with this woman. While she was still in the ER, a detective had come letting her know that he was releasing her from police custody & that her summons was in her purse. She left for the bathroom & was never to be seen again. I did not catch what her name was nor did I ever see her personally. However, I ask you to pray for she & the countless other prostitutes & drug addicts on the streets tonight looking for love in all the wrong places. May we be the ones, as Christians, to BE Jesus to them.

Precious Memories, How they Linger

Though her 80th birthday will not roll around until October 21st, Memorial Day weekend, we threw my Mema a big surprise party. With the combination of my still being fairly new at my job & not having the luxury of time off whenever I would like as well as my sister's expected move out of the country in September, my Uncle wanted to go ahead & celebrate while both Haley & I were available to come. Mema thought we were just coming for a visit. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that there was a party in store for her--especially months in advance. The guests had all arrived & were chattering when my Uncle Roger announced that she & my mom had arrived. As is typical at a surprise party, when the door opened, we all shouted, "SURPRISE!" To say she was stunned is an understatement. As I guessed, she turned towards my mom & Roger & asked what was going on & who the party was for. They told her it was for her. She said, "Well it ain't my birthday." Once she got past the initial shock, she began to wander down the center aisle checking out all of the faces there & pointing certain individuals out. Along with family & friends were a number of the kids that she had babysat throughout the years (many of which are grown & married with kids themselves). Her eyes were so big with joy that she looked like a kid in a candy store. After everyone had their plates filled, Haley turned on a slideshow she had put together featuring pictures of my Mema throughout the years as well as video messages from family & friends here in St. Louis that were unable to make the trip down to share in her party. There were many laughs to be had during the show thanks to the many clothing & hair styles represented through the years! At the same time, many of our hearts missed numerous individuals pictured that have since gone on to be with the Lord. How precious to remember the times spent with them though. After pleading & convincing Haley that the song was perfect for the slideshow (she's not a big fan of Southern Gospel or old hymns), she used the song "Precious Memories" for part of the show. Precious Memories indeed. Long after the party was over (& still today), my Mema raved about how excited she was. Another precious memory indeed.

Dinner at the Diner

Friday nights typically consist of my coming home from work & hopping in the car with my parents to go eat dinner somewhere. Usually, we eat at the same places quite often. Recently, our Friday night ritual was shaken up a bit when my Mom was home ill. Of course, being sick, she was not up for going out to eat nor did she have an appetite at all. With both my sister & Mom being a bit more picky (OK, a bit may be an understatement) than my Dad & I, neither of them like BBQ. So, I suggested that my Dad & I go for some BBQ for the evening. We planned to do so although our plans were short-lived when the place we went to eat at was no longer a restaurant but just a catering service. Wondering where we would go instead, my Dad mentioned going to try out the new diner nearby where we were. I will eat pretty much anywhere so I was definitely in. We arrived & were seated outside on the back deck on the rather windy evening. We had to use the sugar dispenser to hold down our napkins & straw wrappers in fact. We each ordered the same thing (Country Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Texas Toast & Root Beer). Our meal was wonderful as was the environment. With old time music playing (my Dad said it sounded like something from the Little Rascals), the staff in uniforms idealistic of the 40's or so, and time spent with my Dad alone, I could not have asked for a better evening. Feeling better now, lastnight my Mom & Haley wanted to give the diner a whirl. We returned to let them take it all in. Both liked it very much so (Mom had the Country Fried Chicken, Haley had a Triple Club Sandwich, Dad had some Hash, Potato, etc. mound of food & I had Fried Chicken). After eating, we sat outside & listened as people sang Karaoke. On select Friday evenings, Karaoke is set up there at the diner. Dad & I left too early last time to catch any of it but we stayed for about 2 hrs. lastnight. While some were better than others (much better), all were quite entertaining. The diner is a new loved place for our family & I look forward to returning again for another enjoyable Friday evening.