The Power of the Positive and Hurricanes

Just in time for Hurricane Isaac, Shawn returned home from the hospital yesterday.  We
are all together again, home, a family complete.  I have barely been able to hug him as the 
girls have permanently attached themselves to his legs, his arms, and any other body part 
they can squeeze, hug, and kiss.  He walks from room to room, breathing in the familiar 
smells, his hand grazing over the furniture, soaking in the soothing energy of home.  
Though he is physically and mentally exhausted from all that he has been through, his 
spirit screams loudly from somewhere deep inside his soul.  "I am here!  I am alive!".  I see 
it in his eyes, hear it in the way he says my name.  He is here, we are moving forward.

This hurricane comes to Louisiana at a time when I can fully identify with its strength
and destruction.  The last two months have felt like a devastating storm, a catastrophic
event that has rocked our world and shaken us to our core.  But we are here, we are
still standing.  Our family reminds me of the hundred year old oak trees in the back yard:
their strong, solid branches swaying in the breeze, their leaves blowing wildly through the
air as the wind whips through.  They are taking a beating as the storm blows past, bending
as the weather attempts to tear them from the ground.  But their roots are strong, their hold
on the earth invincible.  They absorb the impact and stand firm: no storm is gonna bring
them down.  

And so our family will stand firm through this storm as well, both figuratively and literally.
We will stand watch through this difficult time and wait for the hurricane to blow through.
We are as prepared as we could possibly be but know that, in the end, there are some things
in life you just can't control.  Hurricane Isaac will not break us and neither will
Shawn's accident.  Even though the flame of our candle seems to be burning low, we will
stand firm.  Flashlights and lanterns, bottled water, books, and board games: we are
ready.  God bless Louisiana and the strength of this land.  We are together again and ready
for phase two.