POV of the rain not wanting to be a part of a storm because of the damage it once caused.
Wind, I hear your whispers growing louder.
I sleep soundly refusing to be disturbed.
Thunder, I will not be taunted by your howls or your thunderous beckoning.
I will sleep.
Lightning, your crackle and cackle of laugher will not tempt me to open my eyes to view mysteries in the darkness.
I am at rest.
I hear you. I hear all of you. You do not wish me to remain as I am, but I will not be persuaded to join your conversation. You talk of storms as if you do not remember the last one. I do remember and will not be judged for it again.
You witnessed what happened before. I was too much for them to hold. By God’s power I answered their begging.
I will no longer give in to their request. I will not wake until I am ready! I will not be moved!
I will not look upon the Earth and pretend to care when hearing her cries. Let the ground and the lips of her people be parched. Let the wilting flowers and aging trees wither in the heat. They will remember me and yearn for my touch.
Humans and Animals alike will not be quenched by the power of my waters. I will not rejuvenate their rivers and replenish their lands. My drops will not kiss their foreheads as relief from the overwhelming heat of the sun. No, I don’t want to see them. I gave them my all before and they cursed me. They shall have no more of me until my anger has passed.
Whilst the clouds continue to wrap me in their soft embrace of slumber, I will remain at rest.
They want me with them and this is where I will continue to be.
I will not wake.
So Wind, become silent in your pleading.
Thunder, relax your bold demands.
Lightning, calm yourself and allow your powers to weaken.
I am at rest.
I will sleep.
They shall have no more of me until my anger has passed.
In my solitude, I sit along the sand and I energize myself from the tender touch of you.
In my solitude…
I sit along the sand as the winds lightly blow the waves against the beach. The sounds and gentle silence relax me. My mind is clear and refreshed. I am alert and unafraid. Painful memories ease from my focus. They no longer hurt, they are no longer binding. I feel peace.
In my solitude…
…my hands are outstretched and my feet are bare. I energize myself from the tender touch of nature. A sea of green grass delicately brush against me in the vast open field. As I open my eyes I gaze into the aquamarine sky above. The rays of the sun wrap me in warmth. From a stream, the sounds of flowing water glide across rocks into a brook and enhance the melodies of a bird’s song. I feel calm and alive.
In my solitude…
… The northern city sounds of horns and sirens are shut out by the security of the doors leading to the second house. I rub my hands along the mahogany colored wood as I climb the winding stairs and breathe in its familiar scent. I’m Here! I prepare to be engulfed in overwhelming familial Love. I am deep in the south amongst the shadows of a hating past, but in the safety of Our land. In the nearness of my people, and the strength of our history. Standing near the unseen, of those that came before. Knowing they are proud of the continuation of what they started. The traditions will continue. I feel complete, I feel pride, and I feel family .
In my solitude…
…I’m with you, held in your embrace. Feeling secure knowing worry isn’t an option. Daily experiencing your love for me and only me. Never having to wonder or settle. Never a reason to doubt; I am where I’m supposed to be. Creating memories… laughing at the past while being a comfort in the present. Continuing to hope for a greater future. United as one until the glimmer of the stars fade away and the light of the sun overwhelms itself. I feel me, I feel Us, I feel Forever.
As children of God we should have the same expectations for the promises of God, that my pups have for the food from my plate. You’ve got to have the faith to believe that God will do it and then walk with Expectation.
A Divine Perspective 16: Walking in Expectation
My puppies, have such a great life! They have their toys, snacks, and as much playtime with mommy and daddy as we possibly can manage. Every blanket we have for tv watching somehow becomes theirs, and they then become snuggle blankets. These pups know they are loved. Friends and family say they are spoiled. My response, “They aren’t spoiled, they’re just well taken cared of.”
They do have a tendency to be barkers towards strangers and anything out of order, and they get excited when it’s time to eat. Let me clarify, They get excited when it’s time for my husband and myself to eat. They seem to believe that the Huz-band and I are supposed to share our food with them. Meaning, they beg. When it is time for us to eat, all of their focus is turned to us. Kody uses his eyes for intense staring, Kasey holds his front paws together while moving them up and down as if he were praying, and they both sometimes become vocal with low growling, since obviously we aren’t noticing their attention-grabbing ways of begging. They have such high expectations, and faith that we will eventually give in to them and sometimes we do.
As children of God we should have the same expectations for the promises of God, that my pups have for the food from my plate. They’re so used to getting blessed that even when we bring shopping bags in the house they try to look and see if anything is for them. Like them, we need to be looking for and seeking out our blessings.
Our heavenly father is the creator of the universe and the giver of marvelous ideas. He has everything you need. Just ask, in his name. Have the faith that he will provide and then walk in the expectation that God wants the best for you.
That idea that you know could have only come from God: Do It, Stay Focused, & Follow Through with it! If He gave you the idea, why wouldn’t He help you to see it through? He’s blessed you before. He’s shown himself to answer your prayers and to give you the desires of your heart before, so why wouldn’t he do it again? You’ve got to have the faith to believe that God will do it and then walk with Expectation. Once He’s provided, share your testimony with others, so that they may know of the goodness of the Lord.
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My Puppy Boys: Kasey (Polar Bear) & Kody (Panda Bear) begging while I’m eating.
I see us in these two trees. Shielding and Protecting each other with Love as our Root.
I see Us in these two trees…
You my protector, protecting me from anyone that could be potential harm as you wrap your arms tightly but comfortingly around me.
You shade me from those that speak negatively against me, shielding me from arrows that may fall from unexpected places.
I too, try to shield and protect you as best as I can. Ready to reach out at anyone that attempts to attack you or what we have.
Together we are learning how to navigate in this world. Away from the familiar, so we surround each other with this Love; trying not to smother each other with this Love.
I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine. Holding on to each other while confidently knowing that our Maker intertwined us forever.
I see Us in these two trees with Love, and this Love is our Root.
Waking up this morning, I immediately looked out the window. “Wow, I thought. It really did snow”! I can’t lie, I was excited! The little girl in me began to emerge so I quickly got out of bed to go out into the snow.
Waking up this morning, I immediately looked out the window. “Wow, I thought. It really did snow”! I can’t lie, I was excited! The little girl in me began to emerge so I quickly got out of bed to go out into the snow.
My 2 pups had never seen snow, and were baffled at this “stuff” covering the grass. By now you could see the grass underneath, but there was still snow. I was hoping they would play in it, but they were confused.
There wasn’t much snow left to create a snowman, but I could make a few snowballs. I chose not to because I wanted the snow to last. Roofs all around were covered in snow. By now there is little evidence, but it came, we saw, and we screamed in delight, “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!!!!!”
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It’s been a little rough lately. So much has been going on. The world is scarier today than it was yesterday. It seems like with each growing second, there is more chaos and devastation being announced by the news. Technology makes us all aware of what is going on in the world. No more is technology simply an escape tool. So much corruption and manipulation is being accelerated, that it’s hard to keep up with everything.
That’s just talking about the world. This isn’t even including what is happening on your own home front. There used to be a show that came on about 10 years ago, that showed how homes in the nicest looking neighborhoods had “that craziness” going on. It was like a CSI show, but with a closer to home approach. I appreciated that show so much because the local news always seems surprised when the white-collar neighbor is a serial killer, but speaks with an expected tone when a killer is found living in the “hood”.
The world is a scary place, but my God said that He has not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So, I will live my life professing this even when fear attempts to frighten me and bring discomfort when I turn on the 6:00 news. I will live by this scripture as I go through my daily routines and continue to believe that He still has control even when it looks like the world is out of control.
The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
Fall is here and everywhere I go, I see pumpkin stuff. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin flavored cereals, and pumpkin vanilla candles. Pumpkins, Pumpkins, everywhere! I, for one, am not a pumpkin person. Sweet potatoes??? Yes!!! It’s a cultural thing. I have decorated my yard and the inside of my home with pumpkins because of the harvest and the autumn season, but I don’t care to eat pumpkins nor do I get excited at the pumpkin flavored food and drinks crowding the store shelves and coffee shops.
I too like the colors of the fall or autumn, as I prefer to say, so I do enjoy seeing the pumpkins. The oranges, yellows, greens, browns, and deep reds. The coppers, bronze, and gold make me smile. I enjoy the smells of the fall… warm vanillas, caramels, apple cinnamon, and Glade’s Cozy Autumn Cuddle (this fragrance is my favorite right now, yes gawd!!!). This is also my mother’s favorite time of year, so it reminds me of her. She lives in Chicago, so she actually is able to see the seasons changing. *Her home is also surrounded by trees whose leaves change to the beautiful red and oranges as mentioned above.*
With autumn also comes the cooler weather. Unfortunately, the desire I have for sweaters, scarves, and boots is annually unfulfilled. It is still in the 80s where I live. This is cooler, but nothing I would deem appropriate to celebrate the fall with. #sideeyetotexas Last year we probably got maybe a few days of cooler weather, but it only reached the 60s. Long sleeve shirts are a joke. If they are button up, they can be worn as a jacket possibly. Hopefully this year it will get cooler. The fact that the temperature is in the high 80s now gives me some hope. Leaves are actually beginning to become yellow, so yay!!!!
I am enjoying this time of year, especially in my new home! My television is set for Hallmark’s Harvest shows, the smells of Cozy Autumn Cuddle is in the air, and my mind is ready to harvest the blessings God has for me, my household, friends, and my entire family!
Bring on the Pumpkins, Bring on the colors, Bring on the Harvest!!
School begins tomorrow, September 11. We already had our first day of school on August 21 (The day of the Lunar Eclipse), but that week was cut short by Hurricane Harvey. Thursday, August 24, was the last day of school for that week.
School begins tomorrow, September 11. We already had our first day of school on August 21 (The day of the Lunar Eclipse), but that week was cut short by Hurricane Harvey. Thursday, August 24, was the last day of school for that week. My family escaped to Dallas that night, but many people in our community and families of the students that I teach decided to stay and “hunker down”. We left Thursday night. We didn’t know if the hurricane would be truly devastating as they were mentioning on The Weather Channel, not the local news, but we didn’t want to be around if things were catastrophic. Thank God for using my Husband and pressing in him the urge to leave, because things did get bad….
In the area where I teach, it is near a subdivision titled Hidden Lakes. Every time there is a hard rainfall, these “hidden” lakes come out and with this hurricane many people are now thinking about moving. There is another neighborhood that many of my students live in, that was flooded as well. This section of housing already had people living there that didn’t have much, so these students probably won’t return to this particular school anytime soon. They may have gone to live with people or are in shelters that are in a completely different area with higher elevation. Tomorrow I may be walking into a class, with a completely different group of students. Many of which will probably not return.
I thank God that even though there is a lake not too far from my backyard, that water didn’t get into my home. On our back porch, there is a water line that shows how far the water reached. Praise God! My mother-in-law’s home was flooded, but thankfully she has Flood Insurance and assistance from FEMA which is going to help take care of a lot of things she lost and repair damage to the house. She and my sister-in-law have been staying with us, until things are situated. Unfortunately, hotels in the area are packed, and from what I understand, FEMA is only allowing people to stay in the hotels for about a week. I don’t understand how helpful that is, but I also don’t know the complete story to that.
My brother-in-law and his wife were trying to evacuate from Hurricane Irma. They live around Ft. Lauderdale. Due to lack of gas and the amount of people leaving at the same time, they ended up being stuck in Orlando. They do have a hotel and hopefully what they say about the lack of traffic movement is true. He hasn’t been the guy we know that is always ready and on the move concerning hurricanes, since he has moved down there. He’s been very lackadaisical about Irma…. Last night/Early this morning Irma came ashore….
I feel so bad for all of the people that have lost their things. Yes, it’s just things, but people cared about those things. They meant something to them. Many of those things cannot be replaced. Pictures, family heirlooms, favorite shirts, computers, homes…these are things that cannot be recovered. They can be replaced, but not recovered. These people will only have the memory of having these things…. I hurt for those that lost loved ones. May God be with you. I hope that all the money that is being donated to various charities for all of the devastation these hurricanes have brought, will truly be given to the people that are needing help to reconstruct their lives. People’s livelihoods have been washed away, literally. I hope that peace and stability is restored to these people as quickly as possible.
So before we had time to catch the spider to determine if it was poisonous, my Knight in Shining Armor vanquished the evil creature by vigorously smiting him until nothing about him could be made out. It was most honorable!
A lot has happened this past week. It was the first week of school, a Lunar Eclipse happened that Monday, and then my family and I evacuated from a horrendous Hurricane named Harvey that Thursday. To keep my mind off the latter and all that it brought, I have been thinking about a recent event that happened all while wanting to enjoy a donut in Maryland.
This summer I got bit by a spider. It was a warm July day in Maryland. Evening was quickly approaching and my husband Lloyd, our friends Billy and Joy, and myself had just come from the wedding rehearsal of our good buddies Kenneth and Shannon. We had decided to stop at a Duncan Donuts for a quick snack before we would all have dinner later that night. The area we were in was beautiful. The sun was beginning to go down and the trees slowly swayed in the light breeze while the Marylanders complained about the cool 85 degree weather. All of us being from Texas, were enjoying this break from the scorching heat of 97 or higher degrees (with or without humidity) that we were normally subjected to. We thought it felt great! So much so, that we decided to enjoy our donuts at the tables that were outside of the establishment. This was probably around 7 something in the p.m., so I should have used more caution before deciding to have a donut.
This particular day I decided to have an apple fritter. I mean, why not? They’re good right????? Yes they are. So as soon as I received mine, naturally I bit into it. That wasn’t the best choice. I mean, I shouldn’t have chosen to do this so hastily. The freakin’ donut was hard, which I can only assume was from being out all day! This caused me to break my wire. I wear braces you see. Thank you DD for not changing out your donuts throughout the day. Quickly I began to panic. I was trying to run down the list of why this was a problem. Thank goodness it wasn’t poking me in the jaw, but I knew it would be difficult to eat, and possibly sing. I had been asked to sing in the wedding and didn’t want to mess Kenny and Shannon’s wedding day up by not being at my best. Kenny has heard me sing, but Shannon hasn’t. She was trusting the word of her future husband. Would this incident affect my singing? I was already nervous! So at this point, I was a tad a lot-a-bit irritable. With an attitude, I threw the donut away. If I was thinking clearly, I wouldn’t have paid for it.
As we sat outside so Lloyd, Billy, and Joy could enjoy their donuts and coffee, my bad mood began to leave. The conversations were going well and we were all excited about our close friend Kenny getting married. We were all eager to see this day come to pass. While sitting, I had been telling Joy how I always feel like something is stinging or biting me, but it’s always nothing. And then it happened. I felt a hard sting. I pulled my arm off the table and saw a tan-ish spider, that was as big as my pinky finger nail, in a tight ball under the spot where my arm was laying. We were sitting at one of those tables that is made to look netted, so there are holes in it.
I looked at where I was feeling a burning and announced, “I think I’ve been bitten by a spider”. No one moved because my company was now on their phones. I said it a little louder, and finally I got a response. *See here is my problem. It seems that the only time anyone hears me the 1st time I speak, is when what I’ve said has been interpreted as rude…this is truly annoying!!!!*
So before we had time to catch the spider to determine if it was poisonous, my Knight in Shining Armor vanquished the evil creature by vigorously smiting him until nothing about him could be made out. It was most honorable! He then rushed to get me ice so that I could immediately place it upon my burning and possibly poisoned arm. We quickly located an urgent care and I was seen and prescribed antibiotics. Some tears were shed, due to online searching of what we remembered the spider to look like, which popped up as possibly being a type of Brown Recluse.
While at the urgent care the area on my arm where I was bitten, appeared to have dented in. This caused some more internal panic, self-encouragement, and quiet tears. I had been bitten on my right arm, my dominate arm. The arm I hold the microphone with to sing! I had already been thinking about a friend from college that had been bitten by a Brown Recluse and how her arm looked after the bite…frightful!
A close up of the dented bite area
We weren’t able to have that dinner, but the next day I sang in the wedding with my broken wire not being an issue and it appears I wasn’t poisoned. I can still see the 2 bite marks, but sadly no super powers…yet. 🙂
Harvey came in quite differently than his brother Ike from nine years ago. He wants to stay awhile and not be overlooked. Harvey is surely attempting to not be looked at as just the younger brother that came and went. His older brother Ike didn’t come to play games either and changed how people thought Hurricanes were supposed to behave, just as their older twin sisters Katrina and Rita did in 2005. Harvey is out to prove a point. He is the “long night”.
Monday, August 28, 2017 It is now day 4 that my husband, myself, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law, have been in Dallas. Unfortunately, we aren’t here for a vacation. This is the city I lived most of my life in so it is definitely home, and I always dream of moving back here, but this time we came here due to a stranger thing named Harvey. Harvey came in quite differently than his brother Ike from nine years ago. He wants to stay awhile and not be overlooked. Harvey is surely attempting to not be looked at as just the younger brother that came and went. His older brother Ike didn’t come to play games either and changed how people thought Hurricanes were supposed to behave, just as their older twin sisters Katrina and Rita did in 2005. Harvey is out to prove a point. He is the “long night”.
Thursday afternoon my husband texted me, while I was at work, to let me know that we would be leaving as soon as I returned home from work. His sister and mom would be meeting us at our home and we would be headed for Dallas. My district waited until that evening to inform the staff, faculty, and parents that there would be no school for the following day…. The news told the city of Galveston that they were under mandatory evacuation, but other cities around the Houston/Galveston area were on voluntary evacuation. They stated that if you left Friday morning that would be fine, but you didn’t really have to leave Thursday Night. My husband had experienced the chaos that was Harvey’s big sister Rita, so he wasn’t taking any chances. We both, along with the rest of America, had seen what the water did when her twin sister Katrina visited New Orleans. I didn’t fight this decision or ask a thousand questions about it. I was anxious to see how this Hurricane would pan out. Would it really be worse than Ike and bring all that the meteorologists were saying and showing? We packed up a few necessities and drove to Dallas. While here my husband and I have been going around with wide eyes seeing how much my city has expanded, but our hearts aren’t really here. We can’t help but try to keep up with all that is going on back home. We continue to call, text, and Facebook all that we know and love. Hearing about how friends had to flee to their attics because of homes being flooded with 4+ feet of water and having to cut holes in their roofs to be rescued out is heartbreaking. Some were even rescued out of their cars while attempting to drive to higher ground. Usually when Houston floods, Dickinson and other cities south don’t have this type of impact or anything close to what is happening now even though we are closer to the Gulf of Mexico. This time, the Dickinson Bayou grew and burst forth even before the rains came. The rains did come later in the night. There was no time to leave Friday morning!
Dickinson is under water. This is the city my husband grew up in. My love for this small city that lies 23 miles south of Houston (depending on what part of Houston you want to go to the distance is much shorter) and 24 miles north of Galveston, only grew when I became a teacher here. My husband and I have hundreds of students here along with close friends and family here. Watching The Weather Channel and their continuous reporting on the city of Dickinson, we can’t help but get emotional, as we see what should be a parking lot now be used as a place where boats, canoes, kayaks, and sea-doos sail people to safety. Seeing all of those people that are just now leaving, makes you wonder if they truly thought they could “Hunker Down” as it is called, or did they just not have a place to go. Attempting to evacuate any place requires finances. There are so many people who are afraid to leave their homes, even after the warnings that water and electricity will be shut off in the city. They are wanting to be near family, but they aren’t listening to all of their family. They aren’t thinking about how others in their family want them to find safety. They aren’t thinking about how they need to obey the police, the national guard, and the news’ warnings about Harvey awakening from his slumber only to bring more devastation. Not only is more water a problem tornadoes are a threat too.
So many people want to leave, but they can’t. A daughter wanting to leave and save herself and her children, but her older mother not wanting to leave or not physically being able to just get up and go. A son in the same situation choosing to stay because their older mother refuses to go. What do these adult children do? It’s not fair! When can we say to parents, “Well I’m looking out for me and mine?” Or does this approach sound too selfish? Yet isn’t the parent being selfish in not wanting to be helped or to listen to their child?
So many people are trying to figure out why this is happening. I don’t know why and as of right now I don’t care. I just know it is happening. I don’t care if this is a storm created by the Elite to once again attempt to wipe out those that are considered less than due to their financial situation, race, or age; or if this is a natural storm that is happening due to it being Hurricane Season. These people have lost everything. All they pretty much have are the wet clothes they are currently wearing and hopefully some shoes. Infants and pets are confused and everyone is in desperate places. People’s homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. God please help us!
Here is my prayer and I ask you readers to pray it too: God, please hear our prayer. No matter if this is a man-made storm or one created by nature, please hear the cries of your people. I know that all things work together for your good, and we don’t always understand why things happen when they do, but please make the rain and Harvey go away.
There are 50 more inches of rain to come…Prayers going out to the people of Rockport, Corpus Christi, Houston, Dickinson, League City, Webster, Pasadena, Pearland, Friendswood, Manvel, Alvin, LaMarque, Sugarland, Fort Bend, Galveston, Katy, Spring, Aransas Pass, Bay City, and every city and family affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Rockport,TX
All pictures curtesy of Yahoo Images and The Weather Channel
I remember when I fell in love with Blue Water. It was my first time in the Bahamas. The water was so captivating and amazing. I had never seen natural blue water. There were various shades of blue; Aquamarine, Turquoise, Blue, Cobalt, and finally Navy. Such PURE beauty. A beautiful mosaic of blue water. I remember sitting under a canopy on the beach and allowing the waves to lull me to sleep. Sitting on the beach with my husband, holding hands, watching the sun set, and talking about our dreams and goals individually and together.
There is beauty and fierceness in the waves of rushing waters.
It helps to calm me when I feel overwhelmed. It’s like my energy is recharged. I am renewed by the waves rushing against the shore or the cruise ship. The sound made is hypnotic to me and puts me at ease…comforting me from whatever may be overwhelming me. It is energy in its purist form, with the power to cleanse you spiritually and physically.
*This picture was taken on my recent cruise, as the waves were pushed away from the gliding ship. March 2017
A few years ago, I asked my class if they could tell me why in the world the Easter bunny brought eggs for the children on Easter. I was teaching 6th graders at the time and we were beginning a new Reading unit on Symbolism. I had started the lesson with pictures that were symbolic of various things that I knew they would be familiar with. I showed a picture of the cross, they said Jesus or church. I showed a picture of a heart, they said Love. A picture of the Golden Arches, they said McDonald’s. A picture of a bunny a plus sign and an egg and they knew it meant Easter. Everything started off great until I asked them why. Why did these two completely different things mean Easter. I mean, have you ever seen a bunny lay an egg? Have you ever seen a bunny hatch from an egg? They have nothing to do with each other, right?
There are sometimes issues in the Christian arena concerning the use of a bunny being used to correspond with Easter, but being the symbolic nerd that I am, I love it. I like discussing it with anyone so that they can make sense of why some traditions use what they use in their traditions or why things represent whatever it is they are representing.
A QUICK BREAKDOWN of Symbolism used in Easter
For those of you unaware, rabbits have a lot of babies. Babies represent new life. Spring represents new life. Eggs hatch and bring forth baby animals. Therefore, eggs equal new life. Flowers are blooming, trees are getting new leaves, and baby animals begin to be seen. It’s like the world is being REBORN. Let’s not forget about the True Life being REBORN…Someone coming back from the dead, is like being REBORN. Thank the Lord for the Cross and your RESURRECTING Power. You came back to life with all power over Life and Death in your hands! Amen!
(John 3:16-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.)
Happy 2nd Birthday to my Panda Bear Kody! Mommy loves you soooo much! You bring such joy with all your kisses and cuddles! You are my little Ko-Ko Man! I hope you get all the treats you want!
Kat's Eye View 