The calm before the storm one year ago while we prepared for Hurricane Michael
This whole “sit around and wait” for a tropical storm is becoming all too familiar. I appreciate when it turns out to be “not that a big a deal.” But the stress of waiting and watching and preparing can take its toll. We all know the potential for a disaster is real, as we watch the news and see the photos posted on social media from areas not as lucky as us. There are times when you want to be like Forest Gump and LT Dan…just ride it out with no care in the world. Well, at least LT Dan didn’t seem to care about the storm. See the clip below.
Remember that scene now in the movie when LT Dan questions Forest’s faith in God? And “God showed up” is the way Forest describes the storm. We tend to think of tropical storms as evil, but there’s a beauty in the calm of a storm that has God written all over it. The design of a hurricane is so unique with this perfectly circular eye in the center and the rings that rotate around it. The eye of the storm is calm and peaceful, and it is also dangerous as people assume the worst is over when suddenly they get slammed by the outer walls of the eye as the next band of rain and wind hits. Even the Bible reminds us in Psalms 19:1-2. “The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made. Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power.” (Holy Bible, Easy-to Read Version)
Sitting here while the rain is light and the winds are just relaxing, I think about the calm before and after the storm. While we are in the storm, we feel helpless and alone if we don’t reach out. Whether we reach out to God in prayer or ask for help through a friend or organization, we tend to think we are strong enough to handle this on our own when the seas are calm. Then we get slammed by the storm because we were “tricked” into believing that we got this because we did so well by ourselves during the calm. The calm is peaceful and relaxing. We get comfortable. When the storm hits though, we need to be prepared. And at times, we need ask for help. We aren’t all as lucky as LT Dan and Forest Gump.
Tropical Storm Nestor is already causing damage along the Gulf Coast of Florida. The same area that was slammed last year by Hurricane Michael. Nestor showed up quickly, almost like out of nowhere. Almost like LT Dan asked Forest “where’s this God of yours?” And God replied with a strong powerful gust of wind and a down pour of rain, “Here I am,” while the sky developed and built into a powerful tropical storm. I’m not saying that God is purposely destroying homes and infrastructure in the path of the storm. I’m just saying you have to admit the creation of a storm seems supernatural. Man and the all intelligent computers can’t even figure out where it is going and what it is going to do next. Tropical storms are just unpredictable…and out of our control.
Living in South Georgia, we won’t see the level of destruction that they do along the coastal areas. We will get some wind which could take down a few trees. We will get the heavy rain which, by the way, we really needed in this area. We might lose power for a little while which is just inconvenient for most of us. But think about what we get in return—a day stuck at home. For those of us that keep a calendar in multiple colors for all the activities and events that keep my kids and I on the road and out of house most days, a day at home with nothing to do is a blessing.
Enjoy the calm before the storm. Enjoy the short lived calm of the eye of the hurricane. Enjoy all that the storm has to offer—time spent stuck indoors with the family, an abundance of rain that we desperately needed, an excuse to sleep-in or take a nap, the fresh warm air pushed our way from the Gulf of Mexico, and the chance to see “God show up.” Even when there’s destruction caused by the storm, what happens in a disaster? Communities come together, organizations jump in to provide relief, and people pray.
Still sitting here waiting for the storm. And thinking this is a good day to re-watch Forest Gump with the kids. And while it is still calm, I think we need to make some cookies. And fill our water bottles, just in case. And charge our phones. Check the flashlights for batteries. And pray.
Driving through our little town one morning this week, we were amazed at the beauty of the sunrise
Fall is my favorite time of the year…OK, my second favorite time of the year. Christmas will always win, for so many reasons and on so many levels. That’s a discussion for later in the blog. Today is the first of October and while not officially the first day of Fall, it is the day we feel safe to start putting up the season’s decorations.
Here are my top 10 reasons why I like this wonderful season that is also known as Autumn.
1.The FEEL of Fall. The temperature’s are slightly cooler. Here in Georgia that means they are in the 80s instead of the 90s and 100s. Not cold, but we can feel the difference. In other parts of the country and world, it is really a comfortable season. Temps in the 60s and 70s. Almost sweater weather. Usually, the humidity starts to decrease as well. I can walk outside and not immediately start sweating. While living in the South means that there are still days that feel like Summer, there are days that just feel like….well, Fall. Breezy, cooler and dryer air that just makes you want to go for a nice walk.
Walking barefoot on a nice Fall day
2. The COLOR of Fall. In some parts of the country, the leaves change pretty colors like orange and yellow and red. While this signals that the leaves are “falling”, these colors also represent joy and passion and optimism. They can increase your energy levels and stimulate creativity. Really—who can look at a photo of colorful autumn leaves and not smile? People will drive miles just to see this phenomenon of the changing colors. A beautiful view for that nice walk if you live far enough north to see the changing of the leaves. Sorry to say that the pine trees in South Georgia do not change colors. And the pine needles fall year round. We still get to enjoy the Fall colors in many other ways.
Fall decorations with South Georgia snow…also known as cotton
3. HALLOWEEN. Do I really need to explain this one? Candy. Costumes. Trick-or-Treat. Happy children. Halloween is really challenging Christmas when it comes to decorating. There’s blow-up pumpkins and ghosts to display in your yard. Orange and purple lights to string around your house. Yard decorations of all types—headstones, spider webs, spiders, brooms, witches, ghosts, and many more. I enjoy going out with my kids to collect candy from our neighbors. It is also a lot of fun to hand out candy and to see all the adorable and creative costumes that kids wear while they walk or ride around the neighborhood. While it is intended to be a spooky event, Halloween is a lot of fun. And….did I mention I really like candy?
Two of my favorite Super Heroes dressed up for Halloween
4. Great time for PIE. I like pumpkin pie. I love sweet potato pie. Pecan pie is pretty good, too. There’s also apple pie and chocolate pie. One year for Thanksgiving, I had to make a Jam Pie. My little girls were big fans of that annoying TV show “Max and Ruby” at the time. Max and Ruby’s grandma made jam pie for Thanksgiving, so we had to have jam pie, too. I thought it was going to be a challenge since I didn’t realize it was a real thing. It wasn’t the easiest to make since the ingredients weren’t common baking items. Who has crumbled almond paste sitting around in their kitchen? It was delicious. I’ve added the link, in case you want to try it or maybe you have Max and Ruby fans that are going to put you on the spot one day and demand jam pie, too.
5. Multiple events to spend time with FAMILY. I already mentioned Halloween. I think I have one or two more years of experiencing this fun night with my kids. But there’s also long weekends and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a huge family event when I was growing up. Multiple generations would gather at my grandma’s house or our house or another relative’s house. There would be more food than we could possibly eat in one whole meal. We couldn’t even eat it all in one day. There would be backyard wiffle ball games and possibly a bon fire if we were celebrating at the right house. We would get to see aunts and uncles and cousins. It isn’t quite the same now, but no matter where we are—whether it is our family or a friend’s family—there are lots of people and lots of food which equals good times and happy memories.
The girls got to enjoy a little snow last Thanksgiving. We definitely were NOT in Georgia.
6. College FOOTBALL. To be even more specific—SEC College Football. I am a huge Florida Gator fan. (Hope I didn’t just lose a few followers….) Living in Georgia, sometimes I feel like I have to apologize for my faithfulness to the Orange and Blue. However, I’m not just a fan. I’m also a graduate of the THE University of Florida. Not to be confused with those other schools in Florida that also have fine football programs and produce wonderful college graduates that I call friends. If you have never attended a college game in person, you are missing out! I don’t care what team you root for or what game you attend, the atmosphere in a large college stadium is electrifying and exciting. I usually take my girls to one game a year, and I choose a home game against a “no-name” team to ensure its a win. Winning games are so much more fun than losing games. They don’t play the fight song and set off fireworks for losers. Please don’t plan all your birthday parties and get togethers on a Saturday afternoon in the Fall. That’s just disrespectful in the South when you know a big SEC game is playing at three on CBS.
Florida Football game. Free tickets aren’t always the best seats.
7. The pretty DECORATIONS. I already mentioned I like the colors and I like Halloween. The decorations that symbolize Fall are just beautiful. Wreaths with orange and red and yellow leaves. Scare crows wearing cute straw hats and overalls. The harvest symbols like a cornucopia filled with corn and squash and pumpkins. Jack-o-lanterns made out of pumpkins are fun and festive. I don’t actually enjoy making them…since I get stuck doing all the hard work like cleaning out the pumpkin guts and seeds. Scented candles with fragrances like pumpkin spice, cinnamon apple, vanilla caramel, and praline pecan make your home smell delicious while also decorating the place with Fall colors. I already mentioned them, but pumpkins are everywhere when it comes to Fall decorations.
8. Time of RENEWAL. Just like the changing color of the leaves which eventually fall off the tree, we all need a time to shed our extra baggage. Maybe its time to lose some weight before the heavy eating of the holidays. Maybe its time for a change. While the leaves fall in the Fall, they come back in the Spring with vibrance and new color. We all know about Spring cleaning, but Fall is time for renewal. A time to reflect on what we want as the calendar year comes to an end. Update the bucket list. Start a new hobby. Go on vacation. Find your purpose while the Fall colors are around….remember those colors increase energy and inspire creativity. It is a great time of year to start running or increase your distance. The weather is better, and there’s lots of great races in the Fall and Spring to provide you with a running goal. Don’t let the start of the shorter days get you down. Take this season to make a new and better you.
9. The HAHIRA HONEYBEE FESTIVAL. The first weekend in October is always the Hahira Honeybee Festival. If you aren’t from South Georgia, you have no idea what I’m talking about, and you are truly missing out. The parade, the food, the 5K, the music performances, the arts and crafts for sale, and the friendly people make this an exceptional event. Where else can you eat fried gator tail on a stick while also indulging in Italian ice and funnel cake. And that is just a few of the many food vendors that are out there selling their specialties. My small town has a few thousand residents. But on the Saturday of the weeklong Honeybee Festival there are nearly 30,000 people walking up and down Main Street enjoying the parade and all that the vendors have to offer. The 2019 Honeybee Festival is this week! And of course, there’s also honey for sell from multiple vendors!
Some Hahira Honeybee Queens enjoying the parade
10. It is ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I mentioned in the beginning that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It is slowly but surely overlapping with Fall. Some stores already have their Christmas displays out with the pretty lights and fake trees. I have heard people complain about the early set-up of holiday decorations. It does seem to creep right up on everything else, like Summer, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Christmas is exciting for so many reasons. The lights, the decorations, the pretty trees, the songs, the music, the gifts, and the parties are all reason to feel merry and jolly. There’s also the reason for the season: the birth of Jesus Christ. Growing up in a Christian family we learned that the birth of Jesus was just as important to celebrate as was the arrival of Santa Claus. When my older kids were really young, we would make cupcakes on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. We also left out a plate of cookies and a beer for Santa. Yes, Santa got a beer at our house….and believe it or not, it was the kids’ idea. Almost Christmas is a wonderful time of the year….second best to the actual real Christmas.
At least our Elves wait until December to show up at our house
