Aftermath of Ike

Beauty in the common things: Friends who love me

Listen in: a Train in the distance ( I love that I can hear them sometimes)

I am sitting here tonight feeling helpless. I need to be there to help my mom. By all accounts...she lost everything. Her house is standing but that is the best thing I can say from the pictures I have. Monica went over there for me and sent a few pictures to prepare me for what I will see. I have been a basket case since Friday. The news media coverage of San Leon is crap. Plain and simple. I and many, many other people have been communicating via online blogs and forums. Thank God for the internet. Many people are missing loved ones...many more are missing their entire (and I mean entire) houses. They are just gone. My mom was lucky in that she found her house there. But, I think it might have been better if it had been wiped off entirely. The antique piano floated over to the front door and you can't get it open. As a result the house is full of mud. My mom said there is nothing to salvage but I can't beleive that there is absolutly nothing. She doesn't want me to come because she donesn't think I can emotionally handle it. But, for my own piece of mind...I have to. Beyond the fact that she doesn't have anyone at all helping her...I need to go home. My home...which is more than that house...has by all accounts been destroyed and I need to see that in order to come to terms with it. I plan to take pictures of some of the homes and send them to those that are begging for information via the internet and also to try and find something for my mom. I have friends here watching my kids for me and I will only be there for two days. I hope I can get a lot done in that amount of time. I hope to figure out what my mom is going to do. She didn't have any insurance and she doesn't even know where to begin to start. Thankfully she already filed with FEMA.

I just am having so much trouble wrapping my mind around what has happened. I know so many people must have lost their life. The numbers don't add up. I think the media is keeping it hush, hush. I pray for the families that are out there just waiting to hear about their homes, friends, and family. Lord give me strength to do what I need to do and to make it through this strong enough to shoulder the burden for my mom. Amen!