Hurricane Update #6

 Hi everyone,

It's been a minute since I've posted because it's been a whirlwind of days that met into weeks. The kids went back to school on October 17 after an almost 3-week hiatus. The city opened the causeway up to residents earlier than planned on October 19. That day, we dropped the kids at school and drove over. I took video footage of it all. This was only my second time to the island after the hurricane, my first time to see first hand what Sanibel really looks like. (The first time, we boated straight to our dock, went into the house, got back on the boat. And at that stage, most people hadn't started remediation at all.) The little bridge going over a canal between the causeway and our house is broken in two spots, so we had to go the long way around. Truly, the photos don't do it justice. To see every house...every house...with most of its contents out on the curb is haunting. Roofs were stuck in trees. Everything was where it wasn't supposed to be. It reminds me of a twisted version of that Dr. Seuss story, Wacky Wednesday. 

That Saturday, we decided to drive the kids over to see Sanibel and see our house. We were all heeding Mr. Roger's mother's words and were looking for the helpers. (They were everywhere.) We couldn't help but marvel at how cars got where they were, how entire houses shifted to new locations. They loved being back at our house with their things. With the car, we were all able to gather more clothes and personal belongings. It was good for all of us to see exactly why we can't move back to Sanibel right now and probably not for a while. 

The good news is that the water is back on most places for cleaning/washing. We can even flush toilets and wash hands, which feels remarkable to me. We keep hearing reports that various friends have power to their homes already too, which is also great. We're anxiously awaiting news that our electrical system at the house is in good enough shape to reconnect to the grid. Hopefully that will happen next week. 

On Tuesday morning, K and I got in the car and drove back to Sanibel. This time, though, we headed to our home on Palm Lake Drive. We were meeting the flood insurance adjuster there. This would be our first time to see firsthand how that house had fared. I'm so thankful we saw it together because it was terrible. Tears just started flowing as we approached Bailey's and headed south on Tarpon Bay Rd. More tears as we turned onto West Gulf Drive. Tears as we drove by Shalimar, which is no longer there. Tears as we drove by the little church on the corner of Palm Lake, which didn't make it. And tears as we turned the corner onto our street and saw so much of Island Inn Resort from across the street in our front yard. We couldn't walk to the front door. So much mud. Still. And now, nearly a month after the hurricane and no open windows, mold growing up our walls. The house literally is falling apart inside. I don't want to post many photos of all of that because so many of you have been to that house and I don't want to spoil the memory you have of it. The foundation of the house actually cracked. And shifted about 1/2 inch. It will need to come down. Soon, I'm going to ask any of you who spent time in that house to send me a few photos of you there...I'm going to put together a photo album of that special spot that has always been a thin place for us, a sanctuary. L had his first Christmas there, all the kids learned to ride their bikes on that loop, H recovered from her skull surgery there...so, so many memories. And the memories go back even farther than us. We bought that house from our friends, the Fishers, who filled it with friends and family and memories too. I'm so sad it's gone.

In closing for now, I'm posting a photo of one of the many bizarre things we saw at that house. The book laying in the mud was on the far side of the living room, away from the kitchen. Somehow, that spatula got itself stuck in the book and landed upright. And there is sits. I couldn't resist snapping a photo. I’m also including a photo of our banyan tree at our house...it’s already sprouting new leaves! 

Thanks to all for your continued prayers and texts and emails checking in. We are finding our footing in our new digs and are thankful school is back in session. These are bringing stability and a sense of place.

Hugs,
mb&k

Hurricane Ian Update #5

Things seem to be moving so fast. They opened up the Causeway on Tuesday for a million repair trucks. It's pretty unbelievable. And they are scheduled to open up the Causeway to residents on October 21, which is also unbelievable. We are so thankful. In case you haven't seen the footage on social media or in the news, here are some links if you want to see the video footage of the convoy arriving on Sanibel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVx9x49EFNc

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZmsM6fYwg

We are tired but hopeful. There are still so many families in need of help, so many families still in Hertz arena waiting for direction on what to do next. Keep praying for all involved.

Hugs to you all.

Hurricane Ian Update #4

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every one of you that made R's 8th birthday so very special!! It was such a sweet day! He started receiving packages and cards before his birthday, then on his birthday, then yesterday too. Wow. We made pancakes for breakfast. He then went on his scavenger hunt for his gifts, a tradition in our house (though the clues were made by a very tired momma), opened gifts, then went to look at a house in Fort Myers that might be ours to live in until we can move back home to Sanibel. Then back to Naples for pizza dinner and cookie cake with friends. It was a good day. He/we felt so loved on and showered by gifts (for L & H & us too!) and calls. He even received lots of video messages and photos of handmade cards from his friends at school! I've posted a few photos from the day at the bottom of this post.

It feels like months since the hurricane, not weeks. Every day is long and full of changing information and plans. We're hoping to be settled into a new place by the end of the month. So much to do before that, though. School starts on October 17, which will be good...get those routines going again. We're so thankful for the school community, for the administration and teachers who, despite going through their own craziness, are there for our kids. It's all so amazing. So thankful for all of the helpers.

I'm feeling a deep sense of weariness setting in...so I'm praying for the energy to get through the days ahead. We also have a sick dog, though we don't know what's wrong. She has had a bad cough since mid-August and has been on a cough med and an antibiotic in addition to her normal allergy meds. But the medicine has run out, our vet on Sanibel is unreachable, and I can't get her meds refilled without being seen. There are so many animals that need more immediate attention, so it's been difficult to get her in to see anyone. Praying about all of that too. 

Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support. We're hanging in there and will be fine. K keeps reminding me that it's a marathon not a sprint...Hugs to all of you!

Hurricane Ian Update #3

Thanks to all of you who were praying as we went over to Sanibel today. It was an early start. No problems getting on the island. Just showed our driver's license to the police stationed by our canal entrance and headed in. I had seen lots of photos of everything thanks to K, so I wasn't too shocked by what I saw. A thin layer of mud over the entire lower level. Mold already starting inside drawers and toy containers with anything wood. It's crazy. I'm thankful K and Todd are working so hard over there to remove the wet & rotting materials. My main job was to attack the playroom...keep as much Lego as possible. And if you know us, we have a lot of Lego. (Such teeny, tiny pieces!!) The Critters all pretty much had to be tossed. The costume bin miraculously remained bone dry as did a few other bins.

The hardest part of this whole thing is really the displaced feeling. We feel we are camping out, trying to unpack, trying to settle, all the while not knowing how long we'll really be out of our home. The stuff in the house is just that...stuff. And we can replace lots of the ruined things. But it's the feeling of losing home. K always has said, "Home is where the hounds are." And we have our hounds and guineas and of course our three awesome kids. So I know "home" is where they are. But I've always been a person whose physical space and place can be a "thin place." And our home on Sanibel is just that. We moved in to this house just over a year ago. Did some work inside. Built a dock outside. We literally just finished our big landscape project the week before the hurricane. I don't think I was holding on to it all too tightly. But sometimes I wonder.

We're hearing lots of encouraging reports that there will soon be a temporary bridge for residents and workers who will get to work rebuilding and getting power and water on. It all just takes time, we know. And we're thankful for the movement in this direction. K has been a machine...getting so much done for us, for our house, for our friends. I admire him and love him so very much. I'm so thankful I have a steady partner through this.

My dad has this saying: Absorb chaos, give back calm, provide hope. We are trying to live that. Big time. But it's very, very tiring absorbing all the chaos while remaining calm and giving back hope.

So that's where I am tonight. I'm tired yet encouraged yet left wondering at it all. So many have lost so much more. I try to see the beauty in things. I try to see the good. I definitely see God. My friend L texted me, "I'm glad you are seeing the beauty in all of this." I told her I didn't really see the beauty but I can definitely see God at work. And she responded, "God is beauty, and you are seeing Him." Made me cry.

Hugs to you all tonight. We look forward to seeing you sometime soon and once again be able to host you in our Sanibel home.

Hurricane Ian Update #2

It's been six days since Hurricane Ian visited us here in SW Florida. It's been a crazy roller coaster of a week. The short of it is that residents are allowed on to the island by private vessel starting tomorrow, curfew of 7am to 7pm. Praise God. K and I are heading there tomorrow, possibly accompanied by our talented & generous builder of a friend, TW. I'll try to post a few photos once I get to lay eyes on everything myself. But we'll be working hard to rid the lower level of anything that mold likes...

Going backwards for a minute...During the storm, we played games, read stories, hooked a portable DVD player up to our little generator and watched a movie. But in the end, K just couldn't focus and just sat by the front door watching the water rise. He was watching and waiting, watching the levels to see when we'd need to move to the next level up because the water might come into the house. The water flooded the street, crept up the mailbox posts, entered the driveway and eventually into the garage. Up the first step to the front door. It was rising so fast. Then it stopped. Then it receded. Then we could actually see the grass again, proof that my eyes weren't deceiving me.

We got power back here at the house in Naples Thursday late afternoon. K immediately went to the back patio and raised the hurricane shutters. The light of the beautiful sunset poured into the room that had been the darkest during the storm. I delighted in it then immediately started weeping. Weeping with relief; weeping with grief. 

I've often thought of the Bible story of Noah and the flood, and especially thought of it during this hurricane. One of our good friends and favorite musicians, Jeff Black, wrote a song called "Noah's Ark." He plays it for me every time he plays at our house concerts. It has always been a favorite of mine, always has moved me. I listened to it this morning and wept. Again. Take a moment and listen. It might just be the theme song for this moment in time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SjfhyDL4z0

We love you and are beyond thankful for all of you and your kind words, your encouragement, your prayers. You have carried us. This would be too heavy without God & you. Bitter. Sweet. They go together. 

To be continued...

Hurricane Ian Update #1 (addendum)

Every day reveals more about all that is happening. I just heard a report from a city meeting that the current plan is to have a plan for the causeway in 30 days, and have the causeway fixed in a year. A year? 

I know Sanibel is a tourist destination where lots of the devastation was to people's second homes. But it's also home to a lot of people whose everything was there. Their livelihood, their only home. So if you know people who may look at the losses on Sanibel and think, well, "it was just a tourist destination" or "if people lived there they can afford to live somewhere else," please remind them that it was so much more for so many people. 

If I'm honest, I fear that Sanibel will be deemed totaled and beyond repair and put out to the curb in order to focus on the losses on the mainland. Please say a prayer that won't happen, if not for us then for all the families who have lost everything and have to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

One more note regarding our family....Our sweet baby, R, turns 8 next Friday. Poor kid is just trying to figure out how to celebrate his birthday and who he can be with. If you want to send him a card, text me and I'll give you the address of where we're staying. Hugs to you all!