Daughter is safe and sound (09/15/2008)

As I write this I don't know if the latest hurricane has killed and displaced hundreds of people or has fizzled out. All I know is that it is headed towards Houston, Texas where my daughter is on what she refers to as lock down. That means she has to stay at the hospital for the entire weekend and not go home until after the excitement is over. I wonder if she gets overtime?

Personally, I'm not sure I would want to stay at work for several days without going home. I may like my co-workers but I need the down time to decompress and recharge. Maybe that's why I chose a profession where being on lock down is not an option.

My daughter is an emergency room nurse at a major trauma center and had an inkling that this was coming.

Personally, if my kid has to be in the path of a hurricane or any natural disaster, I would prefer she be at a hospital surrounded by her friends and lots of doctors and emergency supplies than anywhere else.

When we last talked to her she said she wouldn't be reachable by phone. So we just have to have faith that things will turn out the way they should.

Thank goodness she is in a sturdy building and not in a government-sponsored trailer somewhere. I don't know anything about hurricanes, but I know that tornados always head for the closest trailer park to do their worst damage. I imagine it is the same with any powerful storm.

I wonder what it is that draws people to the danger of living in the path of so much danger. Is it the beauty and power of the sea? Is it the easy fishing? Are we searching for the idealism of Atlantis? Is it something more primeval? Is it home?

I have no idea. What I do know is that I have no intention of ever living on the coast. That goes for any coast, anywhere. I prefer to chance the occasional tornado or ice storm. At least those sneak up, wreak havoc and disappear. A hurricane piddles around for a long time threatening doom before deciding whether or not to destroy something or to harmlessly die out.

I suppose that by the time you read this, the clean up will have begun. We insist on trying to rearrange the world to suit our needs and Mother Nature is just as determined to have things her way.

Normally I love storms. I find all that raw power to be inspiring. It makes me appreciate the power and beauty of God. A good storm is truly awesome.

All storms have the potential for destruction. They also have the potential to bring out the best in us as we help others to safety and to regain their lives. Then there are the worst of us who take the opportunity to bring about even more death and destruction as they practice their own brand of anarchy.

I have to believe that my kid is surrounded by the best humanity has to offer. Hospitals are filled with people who went into their professions because they wanted to "help people." There are other reasons, of course, but the fact remains that she and her co-workers will do their best to take care of any patients they may have while trusting (and praying) that their own loved ones are safely out of harm's way.

Sometimes one just has to have faith that things will turn out as they should.

Sometimes that is easier said than done.

Three days later.

By the grace of God my daughter was in the only Houston hospital that did not sustain major damage. They were inundated with patients that they did their best to care for. They were also swamped with homeless people wanting shelter. Those unfortunates were bussed to other cities, where they were safely out of harm's way.

She went home Sunday and slept, safe and sound. Her daughter Emma is with her other grandparents, also safe and sound.

Until the next time ...[[In-content Ad]]