We are all okay here. We thankfully never even lost power, although there are quite a few flooded streets by the beaches in our area, and the tides are rising. Our hearts and prayers are with the people and towns who suffered a direct hit from Idalia. We can never, ever underestimate the power of Mother Nature. When our major elements – earth, air, fire, and water are tame, they offer us peace, nourishment, shelter, warmth, refreshment, and tranquility. When our elements are stirred up, we witness the unleashment of their true ferocity and power. And we are quickly humbled. No mother can “put you in your place and make you remember where you came from” better than Mother Nature.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
“The calm before a storm” is a real thing. It is still and sunny and beautiful here. Most of my friends, are just hunkering down, waiting to see what will happen overnight. I’ve made some pasta this morning, in case we lose power. I’ve also made some extra coffee (cold coffee is better than no coffee). The schools are closed today and tomorrow. Today, the schools are mostly closed for preparation and evacuation (if need be), because honestly, if you looked outside, you would never dream that a big storm is coming. I think that everyone I know around here has at least some low-level anxiety, but these hurricanes are just the price which we pay to live in paradise. We are all preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. As it stands, the hurricane is supposed to make landfall a pretty good bit north of us, in the big bend of Florida, which is a low population area. If a hurricane has to happen, this is probably a best case scenario. Please keep our state in your thoughts and prayers. For all of its detractors and “Florida Man” memes, I believe that many, many people can say that they have experienced at least one beautiful memory in Florida (and probably many more than one). It is a major destination spot for people here and from all over the world, because of its utter beauty, diversification, “open-minded/anything goes/something for everyone” relaxed attitude, and its magnificent collection of nature. Florida is a magical place.
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a trip to Florida.”
“Florida is a golden word. The very name Florida carried the message of warmth and ease and comfort. It was irresistible.”- John Steinbeck
“Florida is a very healing place.”- Burt Reynolds
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Summer often likes to leave with a bang in our state. I am not too concerned. We live pretty far inland, and we’ve lived through many big Florida storms and many big Florida storm scares. If you don’t get a daily blog post from me later in the week, just figure that our power is out. Still, I’ll take any extra prayers and good juju for the people in the path of Idalia.
Have a great week, friends! Here are some bonus thoughts that I wrote in one of my inspirational notebooks this past weekend, from my readings. I’m sorry, I don’t know who to credit some of them to:
+ When a human reaches the end of his or her rope, he or she reaches the beginning of God.
+ Choose change before change chooses you.
+ We all have gifts that we don’t recognize, not because they are hidden but because they are so much a part of us that we can’t see them. Other people are the mirrors that allow us to see. – Holiday Mathis (***I really like this last one. We are often told that other people mirror the traits about ourselves that we don’t like and which we tend to disown in ourselves, so it’s a nice turn to think about people being mirrors to our positive traits, too. It’s also true that the traits that come naturally to us, we tend to discount. But these unique attributes of ours are gifts to us, and to others. My husband has the uncanny ability to find lost things. He’s found glasses buried in sand in the shore of the ocean. He’s found tiny earring studs at the bottom of a pool. If I lose something, I often wait for him to come home, because I know that he’ll find it. This gift of his, was the first thing that came to my mind, when I read this quote. What are some uncanny traits that you have that are so naturally a part of you, you can’t see them? I bet that your loved ones could tell you.)
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
