The Needle in a Haystack

Dodge That Bullet!

well, we spent the last few days in Hurricane Florence mode,  water, canned foods, lightening, tarps, chain saw ready,cars filled with gas, a trip to the library to stock up on books, small generator at the ready....

 

I had all the kids on speed dial....( lots of conversations with God about their safety,and I encouraged them all to do the same

 

Since he was 13 Jeremy has loved a hobby of weather, if he weren't so good at what he does in the computer world I swear he had missed his calling as a meteorologist. He is even a spotter for the local weather with a small weather station in his backyard..I digress.... he kept us posted  with Florence progress over the last few days with pictures like this:

....and even a heads up on a tornado warning before the news released it ( we are all fine)

 Fortunately, for most the storm weakened and turned...there is a ton of rain, and there will be some flooding...but by and large we dodged that bullet...

Dyls and Camryn , Christopher and Vika are with out power, but safe...here is a picture from Vika:

..so we spent yesterday eating all the hurricane snacks we had treated ourselves to...we may or may not have eaten a bag of cheetos , half a bag of cornchips and a box of donuts...( I feel the need to do a cleanse this week)...

 So the lanterns are back on the shelf....water stored for the "next one"....and now we prepare for our next big adventure!

 

Hugs~ Lea

 

Something I haven't talked about here...

If you have been a long time blog buddy of mine, you will know that every three months or so, my friend Bonnie and I would get together for some sort of adventure,hiking, canoeing,visiting some new place...

  But you haven't really heard about Bonnie since last year...

  In Dec she started feeling horrible, losing weight, her blood pressure shot up, her

hair started falling out...she was one of those persons caught in the middle with no

being too young for Medicare, yet her much older husband received too much money

in SS and hi little part time job that the payment for health insurance from the

market place was more then they could afford.

  So I went with her to her first appt to a clinic, where they said she had diabetes and

high blood pressure and gave her some pills....that didn't work... back to the clinic

where they sent her to a hematologist ( credit card bills were mounting)  who 

diagnosed her with a rare blood disease called polycytheimia vera ..treatment  to 

draw  a bunch of blood from her every 3 weeks ( family and her church started

chipping in to cover cost). Instead of getting stronger she got much weaker, losing

more weight , the clinic told her it was just nerves... more pills... her blood pressure

and diabetes were out of control.....

Bonnie would cry and say she knew she was dying, and I really could not try and tell

different, because my heart told me she was...

   So in April, not long after my mom's death, Bonnie had her husband call 911, she

said she wanted to die in the hospital instead of at home, cause she hadn't had a

chance to clean....then the real testing began..

  She did NOT have diabetes, high blood pressure, bad nerves, or polycythemia vera...

she had adrenal cancer, that had grown in to such a gelatinous mass and invaded so

many other organs.... she went home to hospice...and then, the end of May.... she

went home to the Lord.

  I was honored to speak at her memorial service, and be with her family during that

time...but for me...

My mother just passed away, my uncle passed away, I had spent many hours helping

Jeremy, Kathy, Wyatt and Ethan with Kathy's bed rest and then little preemie

Carter....I had traveled back and forth to the hospital to spend time with Bonnie, I

helped Josh and Jenn when Savannah was born, and then Jenn was hospitalized

with post partum proclampsia I was there... toss in Dyls and Camryn, getting married,

 I was tired...and I on purpose did not allow myself to grieve the passing of my dear

friend ( Kudos to my friend Kathi for knowing me well enough to drive down from PA

for some much needed girl time)

  But this Sept, I look at my list for Sept, and those things Bonnie and I had plannned

hit me hard, no hikes, no planting , no canoeing, no pie making... tears came...

waiting for the right time to fall I guess.... not blended with all the other tears of the

past year, but special Bonnie tears...... I miss you my friend.... but oh how I rejoice

in your new body, with the Jesus you loved so much!

  See you on the other side!..