I’m not all alone in the waiting game. It was a bit much for hubby man as well. Rather than sleeping in the call room, as soon as his shift in the E.R. was finished, he made a dash for the door. Despite all the warnings to stay off the roads, he didn’t listen. There were downed trees and electric lines everywhere. Not to mention the gluttony of debris. He didn’t tell me he was going.
There is something innate about E.R. doctors. I think “danger” should be their middle name. For whatever reason (I’m still trying to figure it out myself), they thrive on the unknown and unexpected.
As he approaches our home, it appears to be in working order. I mean, at least, it hasn’t completely collapsed to the ground. He walks briskly around and quickly discovers that a portion of our roof had collapsed, primarily impacting my office. Water had seeped in through nearly every window. A portion of our daughter’s flooring was waterlogged and would have to be removed. Wanting to better assess the damage, what does he do? He climbs up onto the roof to get a better view. He knows I would never approve!
My phone rings and I rush to answer. Excitedly hubby man rambles on and on. He could not resist the urge to share his story as he treks around on our rooftop. I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he described everything within his sight. All the rubbish from the lake we lived on somehow managed to end up in our yard. Old tires. Beer cans. Tree limbs. You name it, you could probably find it there. But other than that, it looked like we were going to be all right.
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15
Crazy enough, my husband was leaving on a business trip to Germany in merely two days. Naturally we assumed it would be cancelled. However, to my dismay, he planned to drive to the airport to double-check. I knew he would be gone for two weeks and I had no idea how I would survive without him. He is my rock. My stability.
Despite the fact that Galveston was considered uninhabitable and Houston was largely without power…somehow his plane was the second flight to depart from the Bush Intercontinental Airport. Taking a deep breath, I knew I would have to be strong in his absence. My kids needed me now. Funny how God stretches you in the unimaginable. To great lengths you never knew you could withstand, like a rubber band. I could not perceive what He was up to…but I could feel some work being done within.
“Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says–‘I cannot stand anymore.’ God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” –Oswald Chambers
Since our home was without power, hubby man wanted me to stay put. I bore it out for a few more days, but finally, it was too much for me to handle. There is only so much you can do in a strange city, a retirement village, without friends and air-conditioning. I pretty much had tried it all. Even movies and popcorn were no longer enticing.
Since gasoline was in short supply, I filled my tank, packed my bags, buckled the kids, grabbed some snacks and was ready to ride.
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