Saturday, September 20, 2008, 05:47 PM MST [General]
This past week I have seen such beauty around me.
Fall is here - we celebrate Mabon on Monday - and the trees are turning golds, reds, yellows very vibrantly. The mountains are green and thriving, and while the trees turn colors, you can feel that the mountains are getting ready for snow which shall arrive sooner than anyone thinks.
I feel the energy of the age old mountains, their energy feels expectant, vibrant, as if they are waiting for a Great Thing to arrive.
And so they are. When Winter comes, humans think of it as a time of rest. But anyone who has been in the Mountains in Winter know that they are filled with activity. Yes, the Earth rests, but there is vibrant and energetic life in the mountain.
So this week, in my 80+ mile roundtrip to work each day, I gaze at the Mountains and soak up their blessed energy, and become anxious for Winter to arrive.
In thinking about this, in seeing this within the forests of the mountains, I think to myself, what else is beautiful in my life?
My Son is beautiful - he is opening up like a flower that has been starved of water and nutrition. He is becoming the man he will be in a few more years. He is coming out of his shell very slowly but coming out nonetheless. He soaks up all the words and attention that Forest gives him.
Forest is beautiful - his strength, his love, his light, the way he makes me feel, the love in his eyes, all that makes him beautiful to me.
I am beautiful. I am at peace, i am loved and love in return, I too soak up the attention and love and beauty around me like a starved flower. As I look in the mirror, i see a happy, beautiful woman who is much more than she appears.
Some ask, how are you doing? I don't even know how to answer that - how wonderful my life is, how peaceful and loving and beautiful my life is. I've never had this before, and it is all so precious to me - I am gratefull that i have this - and i will continue to nurture and care for it like the precious gift from the Goddess that it is.
Monday, September 15, 2008, 08:32 PM MST [General]
Evening all,
I spoke with my mother this morning. They were able to get out of Galveston late yesterday. They made it as far as a friends house in Conroe (just north of Houston). Their friend does not have water or power either, but her house is solid and she has a generator for the refridgerator, freezer and TV and Radio.
The large hospital in Houston that Paul works at is open, so he is expected back to work on Tuesday. The hospital in Galveston is of course closed, but my mom said that the Hospital will pay her regular pay while they are closed until they can come back.
She will go up to another friends house in Dallas, which has much more room for her and their cats. Paul will have to stay at a hotel (if there are any) or in his vehicle in order to work in Houston, until they can find out what FEMA will assist with. Right now there is little to no power in Houston, so most likely he will stay in his vehicle or at the hospital.
Galveston is closed until further notice. They do not estimate water available for a few weeks and no electricity for at LEAST another month. There is no way they can return home for at least a month.
Once they do return home, they will face all the hardship of cleaning up and dealing with Insurance companies and FEMA. The main house had the roof torn off, and all the ceilings has collapsed. It is open to the elements, and will remain so until they can return. Can you even imagine that? An "open" house for over a month?? The second house ended up with about a foot of water in the house, but the ceiling and all else is intact. What they will do once they return is move what is left to the other house while they are repairing the main house. The yards are under feet of mud and debris. There is still water in the streets, but the water is drained out of the houses. While they wait, mold will take root -- Goddess knows what will happen.
I can't even imagine what my mother is going through right now. Please send your prayers/energy/thoughts towards an peaceful, quick recovery not only for her but for all of those who are affected.
We are relatively lucky, they are alive, their pets are alive, and houses can be fixed. They have friends to shelter them, and they have jobs that are still paying them. So many others do not have any of that.
Please take care of yourselves and be sure to let your loved ones know you love them. Life is too precious and too precarious to neglect that.
Saturday, September 13, 2008, 02:15 PM MST [General]
Merry Meet to all.
My parents live in Galveston, which as you know has been directly hit by Ike. My parents decided NOT to evacuate. I spoke with them last night, and again this morning.
I spoke with my mom this morning, about 830 CST - she still had cell phone service but no power to charge the phones, so we kept it short. She and my dad and all the animals are ok, the house has some damage to the roof, apparently sections of it were ripped off - and rain was coming into the house. The downstairs had about a foot of water in it, the street flooding was about 5 feet high. They had sandbagged the front door, so that is why they only got a foot of water and not 5 feet. They had put their 2 cars in the top deck of the parking garage at the hospital - and kept an old truck at the house. Mom says that the old truck had water up to the windows so it is no longer operable.
They do have another house in Galveston, as the water receded they were going to walk over there and see how it fared. If it is less leaky than the one they are in, they will move themselves and the animals to that house until they can get the roof repaired at the main house.
So, they are out of danger from the Hurricane itself, but now they have to deal with the flooding, and more importantly, no water and no power. They have stored water, and they have food. The people who are left on the island that did NOT evacuate will be having to fend for themselves until the Houston area recovers enough to open the roads for people to come back. From what I've seen on the news, Houston seemed to be harder hit than anywhere.
I don't know how long they will be without water or power - I heard (but have not verified) that something major went wrong at the power station that will take "significant" time to fix. I don't know if that means hours or weeks. The frustrating part now, is they can't even go up north to their friends who have offered to take them in, because the one freeway out of town is closed down until Houston recovers. So no getting in and no getting out.
They did make the choice to stay - so they knew what would be involved, but I would still ask for energy and prayers of assistance, health, and protection. My mother told me that they evacuated with Hurricane Rita (right after Katrina if you remember) and it was the most horrifying thing they've ever been through. They were stuck on the main freeway for 2 days, and when they got back to Galveston, 80% of their feline family (they breed and raise show cats) had died from heat and no water. They were not able to take all of them with them, and had left water and food out for them, but were so delayed in coming back due to the havoc that the evacuation caused. She said she would stand at the Seawall and face a Hurricane rather than do that again, and that is why they did not leave this time.
Everyone has a story - so when you see on the news that the commentators and "powers that be" are ranting about those who stayed behind, take a moment to think WHY they might have stayed and try not to judge them. I will update you all when I hear more.
We have made the move to Craig, safe and sound. I feel such a sense of peace and rightness, and even relief that i actually feel that.
It helps me to know i made the right decision. I mean, I know i did - but outside confirmation is always nice. It feels like home here. It has felt that way from the beginning, but now - it truly feels like i am home.
All of my things seem to blend into this apartment like it was just waiting for me to fill the space. Ganesh and Quan Yin together, Isis and Bast - LOL they are in their own spots and they are happy there. Creating a loving, peaceful home for all of us - all of us creating that together, a truly awesome thing.
Of course, Forest says i have too many clothes, and has been eyeing my shoes as if he is thinking about remarking on how many pairs i brought. I think he knows better than to tell me i have too many shoes. I mean, a woman can never have enough shoes for her outfits now can she?! And, i told him, be glad i didn't bring ALL of my clothes!!!! LOL
I didn't used to consider myself a "girlie" girl - but i guess i am now. I have shoes that match my outfits, and i have many many different outfits, and i have jewelry for all of it. I get my hair cut regularly, my nails done and pedicure done, wax the eyebrows, the whole nine yards. So, if that makes me girlie girl, well so be it. All i know is it makes ME feel good, makes ME feel beautiful, and makes ME remember to care for myself, and in caring for myself i have more to give to those i love.
Speaking of which - yeah a few of my loved ones think i'm off my rocker in making this move. They think i may be moving too fast, or letting myself in for trouble.
To all that - my only response is this: Goddess led me here, and I trust in Her implicitly.
So, all i can say is that i am happy, i am content, i am HOME.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 10:52 AM MST [General]
The title sounds strange, I know.....but it is appropriate.
As I was walking out of the house last night, to watch a wonderful storm come in, in the middle of the walkway was Mr. Frog.
Normally this wouldn't be alarming, but I almost stepped on him, AND I personally had NEVER seen a frog in this town until last night.
As I saw Mr. Frog, I screeched to a halt. I felt a compulsion to immediately STOP and listen. Not being one to ignore the Goddess when she is that clear in Her instructions, I stopped and listened.
What did Mr. Frog have to say you may wonder?
Strangely enough, I don't remember all of what I heard him say. I remember he said "rain is coming" - not unusual since a storm WAS on the way - I also heard him say, "It's a good time to be moving now." - again not unusual since he was in the middle of the sidewalk and any number of children could have severely ruined Mr. Frog's day.
What did I feel while I listened to Mr. Frogs rough and rumbly voice? I felt an immense sense of widsom, I felt the rich earth, the fertile soil running over my fingers, I felt fresh herbs up to my nose to breathe in their essence, I smelled the Earth as it smells just after a good rain, I smelled fertility at its beginning. I felt a complete sense of rightness and peace.
I was a little taken aback. Mr. Frog had more to impart than just what those words would appear to mean on the surface.
Rain is cleansing, it is a source of life, growth, continuation. It is precious in this state of drought.
Time to be moving now- not only are we physically moving, i am spiritually moving, and emotionally moving and leaving alot of crap behind.
So when you look at his words, and apply it in a metaphysical sense - how wise is Mr. Frog?
Who knew?
I thanked Mr. Frog and Goddess - and knew in my heart that the Goddess truly smiled on me in this move. What a relief!
