Goodbyes

The last day of spring and the first strong storm of the season rolled through town. We had straight line winds at 4:30am. I didn't hear the sirens but I did wake up just in time to get us in the basement. S was up for the day after that. I looked out our window around 5am to see that we had lost our beautiful tree in our front yard. Our yard only has this and one small tree in the front and one big tree in the back (I will cry buckets the day that comes down), plus three small trees that we just planted (2 apple and 1 plum tree, that I received as a gift for my birthday) so to loose one of our only trees is a pretty sad day. We had some other damage also: roof, fence, and our glass patio door. We were without power for 10 hours, my mom down the street was without power for almost 40hrs. However, we were one of the lucky ones in town. Later, as I drove to the other side of town to run errands, I found that the town had lost a devastating amount of it's large trees. There are entire streets blocked off because nearly (if not all) houses on the block had lost trees. Trees were uprooted (like ours) many landing in the road, in swimming pools, on garages and houses. Through all of this, I am reminded how good people can be. There were neighbors helping neighbors, and strangers helping who & where they could. As it happens, my husband was gone when all of this took place. He was hours away doing his 2 week annual military training. I didn't know where to begin with the cleanup and I am so thankful to those that stepped up to the plate to help us out. My friend's dad and her nephews came and sawed our tree into firewood for us. They worked for 3hrs in 90+ degree sunshine, barely taking any breaks, just to get the job done. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. I had messages and phone calls from friends to offer their help and support, hugs from neighbors...the list goes on. 

The next part is harder to write...

2 days earlier, on Father's Day, I had to call my husband late at night to let him know that his mum was in the hospital across the world in Australia, and would soon be taken from him. Being on a military base, he was unable to leave or make any international calls, so he was unable to call his family. I felt horrible for him knowing how helpless he felt. Making the second call at 5am on Tuesday morning to tell him about the storm damage was not an easy call to make. In the end, his unit sent him home to make up his remaining training at a later date. 

I am so thankful.

Again, we have been blessed with the kindness of friends. A mate of my husband's, who lives in another town, is trying to raise enough money (through friends, military assistance, radio stations, his church) to get my husband a last minute ticket to Australia so that he can say goodbye to his mum. S and I have never met his parents, as he hasn't always had a good relationship with his family. Just recently he had mended fences with his parents, so for his mum to be taken from him at this time is difficult. He has only seen them once in the last 13+ years (since moving to the U.S.) and that was 5 years ago. We don't know the outcome of any of it yet, and I keep telling my husband not to get his hopes up, we are just so very thankful for the effort and kindness of others.

Fingers crossed. 

xo