Texas' Storm

August arrived and the "Texas snow" harvest began.  On a drive, my husband said, "You haven't said it yet."  I was bewildered as to what he was referring to since I was in my own thoughts.  "The cotton," he continued.

(Excuse my flattened curls, I had my hair in a bun earlier)

I, suddenly, was a little sad I hadn't thought much about the harvest this year.  I then thought of how it marked the start of my year.  My year always begins in August, blame it on academic schedules, but it still feels right that way.  It's when more of some of my favorite things come out in store; school supplies, spiced treats and pumpkin spice candles, cozy looking clothes, and boots.  On a trip home alone from dropping my mother in law at the airport, I stopped at a few bales of cotton (strange to say "bales" still), and took a few photos before they wrote on them.  

Now, most farms around here have gone to the baling of cotton.  They are more efficient as well as more colorful.  The wrappings are bright yellow, some are a bright spring green, and fewer are the bright pink.  I've seen maybe a handful of the light blue ones.  It makes me happy to see all the brightly wrapped bales of cotton lines up as they are prepared to be taken to the gin.  It looks like a giant game for Easter out in the fields.

Now why talk about "Texas snow" when Texas has just had the worst hurricane hit it in its history?  It's always nice to start with a smile isn't it?

The week of the storm, we watched the weather channels, skipping from one to another for days. Near by counties were being told they had a mandatory evacuation.  Some counties were receiving a suggest evacuation.  We watched as Harvey sat in the Gulf, waiting and gaining strength.  It worried us, and I didn't want our family to wait to leave.  A week before we knew of this hurricane, I had the inspiration to put together our 72 hour kits.  I know, I've made a post about what to put in them, but honestly, we had never made them.  We have made camping kits and have always had food storage, but never put together something to easily take during an evacuation.  When we heard on the news hurricane Harvey would be making landfall only 45 minutes away, if we were lucky, I knew Heavenly Father had prompted me to prepare.  I'm glad I listened.

We evacuated South to a relatives' home, as well as a cousin of mine and her son.  She lives in the town they thought might have received the brunt of the storm.  Thankfully, her apartment complex received minimal damage and her's personally, received none.

That could not be said for the towns of Rockport, Texas.  It hurt my heart to see drone footage of Rockport, of a place I've visited, a place I've gone to for high school competitions, a place an elementary school friend ended up graduating from, and a place we just vacationed earlier this summer.  My father works in a near by high school and they had been asked how many students they could take in, since the Rockport-Fulton Pirates high school was almost completely washed away.  Other towns, like Port Aransas and Aransas Pass, were hit drastically also, and have been in dire need of recovery.

Though the eye hit closer to where I live, further North up the coast, the storm stayed and poured down more rain than Katrina did.  The pressure from the Northwest caused the storm to gain strength in the Gulf of Mexico, when it came in, it still was gaining and it has been devastating the Houston area.  My sister in law lives up there, my brother is close, my cousins, several of them, live near there.  It really did it home in more ways than one, hurricane Harvey did, but do you know what is an amazing thing?  What happens when a storm hits.  Citizens from across Texas have been helping one another, as well as citizens from other states.

I remember when Katrina hit New Orleans.  We had a few new students in school that year because they had to relocate, and our town created evacuee living in our livestock convention center.  A friend that had moved away my freshman year of high school came back and graduated with us because of it.  I had missed her a lot but wished we had reunited because of a better situation.  When a disaster of this magnitude happens, people gather together and give so much of themselves to those who have lost so much.  People are still dying because of this storm, which is devastating, but there are also areas that have so many donations of supplies, they can't house anymore.

Heavenly Father has plans for everything.  In times like these, He gives His children each other.  We are his children, which also means we are brothers and sisters.  Brothers and sisters fight, blame each other, and take from each other what is not theirs, but brothers and sisters also give, support, lend strength, uplift, bear with one another, and love each other by these actions.  We are praying for these families and communities, sending our supplies, and giving our time, and I hope you are too, wherever you may live.

Always love to hear from y'all.

I know it's been a long time since I've written,

but I look on now and again, even if I'm not writing.