Gustav

I woke up to feed Lily at 6:15a.m. and was glued to MSNBC and the reports on the conditions of Cuba and neighboring Caribbean territories, Hurricane Gustav, and our own coastal states such as Louisiana.  I am speechless and terrified for these people.  Millions are being forced to evacuate their homes, leaving behind photographs, furniture, and their homes.  We try to live our lives, hopefully, bearing in mind that "things" are not what matter but what about when this means that everything you own will perish?  I shudder to think about making the decision to leave behind such invaluable things in my home such as my great great grandmother's painting and living room furniture that has been passed down to family members for generations.  Of course family is what matters most and also pets.  Thankfully this go around the residents of New Orleans are allowed to carry on their pets to make the trip on public transportation but it doesn't mean that they are being taken to some place comfortable.  The old, the sick, the children... how will this affect them?  It is a sad and dreary contemplation of our brother and sisters and what they are about to go through.  I am already asking mysellf, "Lord, what can I do to help?"