Our Story & Status
On Friday early morning, August 25th, Houstonians awakened to partly cloudy skies and cancelled school. We Wyricks were perplexed. Cancelled school? Well okay then. No school kids! Then an hour passes and my mom, at the urging of my dad, calls and says “Time for you guys to head out”.
“What? No no we’re fine. Not even raining here.”
“Amy, pack up kids and dogs and take clothes for a few days. Your dad says so.” (I’m 45 years old but when my dad says so, then you do so because he’s pretty much like Yoda.)
Guttural sigh. “Fine. I’ll get on the Hilton site and see what hotels take dogs.” <eye roll>
And by 11:00 am Friday morn, we were on the road like the Grizwalds to Wallyworld while Ted packed to pilot a trip later in the afternoon. I honestly kind of felt like a pansy. We arrived in Dallas at 4:00 pm amidst slow moving evacuation traffic out of north Houston. An open, albeit always under construction I45 north, led us into the concrete spider web highway system of Dallas. We settle into our hotel room, dogs act like total a-holes with barking (we are so sorry room 247 and 248), and we go eat dinner and settle in for the night with Facebook and Weather Channel streaming like a stock market ticker.
Sunday afternoon, bored but dry in Dallas, a friend offers their unoccupied house near Oklahoma City for us to use for “as long as we need”. School is cancelled initially for Monday and Tuesday and then for the remainder of the week so I come to the realization that we won’t be headed back home for the near future. So we pack up again and drive 4 more hours north and feel guiltily blessed for our comfort and safety.
Our house may be one of the lucky ones. That, however, is so far down on my worry list. Power is spotty. Internet is spotty. Water is unknown but our house sits higher on the street. Septic system, please please chill out as some systems are being flooded from the outside and backing up in the houses.
First String & Second String
I’m sorry to report that I have many friends that are personally and horribly affected by this storm. Mother Nature has not discriminated on any human difference with this catastrophe. Tons of friends now have “lakefront property” and unable to leave, multiple friends flooded with standing water in their house and many friends rescued by boat which is something that always seems to happen to strangers . . . but, I guess, not anymore.
But the majority of us are fatigued and hurting by simply having the news on and scrolling through Facebook. We are watching, in awe, as first string responders and volunteers climb electric poles, navigate boats, hold babies on ladders from a second story, cradle animals as they wade through knee deep water, deliver blankets and hugs to those shivering in the rain, and welcome those that have been so inconveniently and horrifically displaced in homes and shelters. It makes those of us that are so invested in the game but sitting on our sofa sidelines feel guilty, helpless, antsy, and even jealous.
Maybe you are stuck at home with your house in possible peril or maybe you are far away and not even near Texas. Maybe you are local and high and dry but can’t logistically get to the people in need right now. Maybe you don’t have a boat or truck. Maybe you are able bodied but have children or family that depend on you for their daily existence. Maybe you yourself evacuated.
While we restless and toe tapping helpers watch in confusion and heartache on sofas or kitchen tables or offices, we need to remember this:
The best of teams always have second string players.
That second string quarterback and offensive line are on the same team as first string. They know the plays, have attended the practices and still dress out for the game. They watch the game and take notes while on the bench when the initial quarters are in play so that they’ll be prepared when they are called. They pray pray pray for their teammates success on the field while they fidget to get in the game.
So if you are a second string player in this game, be confident in your upcoming position and be ready with a Gatorade bottle and a pat on the butt for that quarterback and offense that comes off the field. They are going to be tired and need rest and will soon watch, pray and depend on YOU to continue playing. This game is not close to over. Let the first string do their job. Your quarter or play sequence is coming. Be patient, calm and quiet so that you can hear the coach call you in.
How to Wait
Waiting for anything is hard, but when wait is holding hands with panic, sensationalism and elevated heart rates, being patient is physically, mentally and spiritually painful.
Friends, let’s support each other as we wait. We second stringers may need to take a deep breath and turn off the tv and Facebook feeds for a few minutes so we can concentrate on steadying ourselves. And then take breaks in the barrage of information.
The following scriptures aren’t contextually pointed towards waiting to help in the midst of a catastrophe, but they point us to God’s guidance and the blessings that come from patience. Have comfort in these and know that your quarter is coming up.
Adore this post!
So glad that you and the family are all safe, Amy. Praying for you and all those affected by Harvey! Glenda