The Wait

The nice Evans brothers still own and operate the machine shop their grandfather opened in our little town 49 years ago. They gave me a ride in their boat down to see how deep the water was in my store building yesterday. It looked like the water was about halfway up to the front door knob so I thought maybe my goods would be OK. I could see in the window, but none of my windows had been broken by debris and that was great news. When the windows get broken by floating debris, the water that rushes in often topples furnishings that you hope will stand. Yesterday was a day we all spent just waiting and watching. Late in the afternoon we were told that a levee broke and it would probably spell another 4 ft. of water. Just when we thought the water would cross the 4 lane highway, it miraculously began to recede.

Today was a day of much activity as our family worked together to find another location to temporarily house our Anheuser Busch Distributing business. We worked out what each of us would do and worked hard to accomplish our respective tasks. Ours is a family that pulls together when the chips are down. Our town pulls together when the chips are down too. Everyone who isn't affected by the flood is helping someway, somehow. All the churches have burst into action providing space for shelters, making home cooked meals, gathering up clothing, and collecting money for the flood victims. We went into town to have dinner last night and overheard a little waitress tell someone that she'd been out to Walmart and purchased 6 cases of bottled water to deliver to the Fire Station where they were filling sandbags. Everyone helps. Everyone cares.

Tomorrow morning I'll help set up the offices in our temporary location. If the water recedes enough by tomorrow afternoon for me to take a boat ride and step onto a porch not covered with water, I'll venture into my store. My husband and sons have lined up a group of men to help get some of my things out of there by boat. I don't know how much has been spared, but surely some of my things have been spared. I'll have to choose thoughtfully because you can't take too much in these little boats. Someone told me yesterday that she saw a magnolia bloom on her tree and took it as a good sign. I have magnolia blooms, too. And I think it is a good sign.