In the Company of Friends with the Finger of God

The Tornado That Wasn't

Sitting at Granddaddy’s Deli, here in C'ville, sipping coffee, tapping out this document, and musing on the past 24 hours.  Living in California, we are used to living with earthquakes.  It’s so normal that, for many of us, it’s just background noise in our lives.  Occasionally it calls attention to itself, but for the most part, no one notices the little wiggles and shakes of whatever fault line one is nearest to.

I've met so many people outside of California that wouldn't dream of living there because the idea of experiencing an earthquake is terrifying.  They are sneaky things; they give no warning.  The effects can be devastating.  I, personally, have felt some good shakes but the only evidence around the house has been the stopped pendulum clock.  I call those near misses.

And, I suppose, last night and experiencing my first tornado warning (not watch, but warning) could be called a near miss too.  Several things happened to me last night for the first time.

1. The warning (that means there was a sighting)

2. Prepping the safe room (a re-enforced closet in the middle of the house)

3. Pillows to cover our heads (whilst we are IN the closet)

4. Shoes (in case we end up outside - which doesn't bear thinking about)

5. The watch (a downgrade from a warning)

6. A heavy weight rising from my chest

7. My brain starting to fire correctly again (it was doing a lot of stuttering)

8. My breathing started to regularize

9. I slept through the night and woke to sunshine and calm winds

The only good things I can say about tornado warnings is that friends from near and far are calling, checking in, updating, and praying.  The phone was not quiet for a couple of hours as the funnel twisted and turned and eventually headed off to Tennessee and was last seeing heading towards Kentucky.  

As a local just said as he headed out the door at Granddaddy's - "What the hell is going on with winter?  Last week it was ice and snow; this week we are dodging a tornado."  

Well, yeah.  That's a big "pretty much" and a Ten-Four.  

When I heard that the tornado had turned, I was swamped with an enormous sense of relief (see 7. and 8. above).  There is nothing more confusing than thanking God for salvation from the storm and then praying for the safety of those in it's new path.  No matter where they go, if they land, someone is going to be effected and usually its not pretty.

So, in the balance, if it's earthquakes or tornadoes, I think I'll stick with what I know.  I doubt if I'll ever live in a tornado zone and I'll be glad of it.  But, now, I have a real appreciation of what the people in such areas can go through.  You don't need to be in a tornado to get it.  All it takes is a warning and the relief that follows when the big funnel in the sky turns away.

On My Own - Reflection

One thing that has really been growing in me during mission is the desire to cook.  I'm not only around a good teacher all the time, but she also inspires us to stretch our possibilities.  For Don, that was actually being responsible for cooking for a week (this was like diving into the deep end of the pool and you can't swim) and discovering that he was actually capable.  For me, it was the desire to slow down, learn to take pleasure in the planning and enjoy the fact that the best foods are the simple ones.  Which brings me to the recipe card I have created for you below.

Click to make me bigger

I didn't have green bell peppers on hand but I DID have lots of red, yellow, and orange ones.  Go figure.  Anyway - I carefully followed the simple directions, set it all up in two layers and voila, bell pepper casserole.  The one change I did make was to add more milk.  The recipe called for 1 cup but it also said to almost cover the ingredients so it was actually more like 1 3/4 cups of milk.  The result was a soft, easy and tasty side dish.  I think if you use less milk, the dish, itself, might be more solid.  Either way, it is delish.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Click to make me bigger

After about a month in C'ville, I got out in the car on my own for the first time.  I have to admit, it felt unsettling.  I left with my journal in my purse with the idea that I would eventually stop in at the Roundhouse for coffee and some writing.  But first I tried to find the house that Don lived in from ages 13 - 15.  It's a tiny, wood frame house that was build over 70 years ago.  I'm sure that every modern day code known to man would be broken today if such a house went up, but back then codes weren't the thing and yes, the little house is still standing.  But, alas, I could not find it.  (Don did show me how to get there today so I'll post the picture later).

I continued driving around town and was quite sure that I must have been looking very suspicious.  I expected the C'ville police to stop me, I was driving so slowly.  But, none of C'ville's finest were in evidence.  I drove down an alley and spotted the balcony apartment (bottom right).  At the river's edge, the soybean plant is the jewel in the crown of that particular spot on the river.  Driftwood can be found but for the most part is quickly swept away by the currents.  A quiet park with solitary benches sit empty, waiting for the warmth of spring and the heat of summer to entice visitors to take their ease.

I left the park and felt a sense of uneasiness wash over me.  This wasn't my home.  I was a stranger.  A turn at any corner might bring me to areas where I don't belong.  The Roundhouse wasn't as alluring to me as it had been when Don was with me.  Journaling and coffee will have to wait another day.  I don't feel the fit yet.  I need to give it more time. I turn around and go back to the house.

Small Paradises - A Reflection on Feeling At Home

What makes you feel at home?  For me, the answer revolves around comfort, warmth, and feeling welcome.  We find this in the homes of friends most readily, but, cafes are high on my list of places that make for feeling at home.  I have Latif's in Turlock, Green Grub (formerly known as House of Java) also in Turlock, and my much loved Hamilton's Cafe in Hughson. 

We have found that when traveling and on the road, collecting eateries that aren't commercial, can lead to good vibes, good people, and a good dining experience.  Here we were still in New Mexico and heading into Oklahoma.  We stopped in for breakfast.  We plan to stop here again on our way back.

Route 66 Restaurant

Niece and aunt keeping the Route 66 spirit alive.

The Roundhouse is a popular eatery that has been in Caruthersville forever.  I've been there five times, in 1980, 1985, 1994, and twice since we arrived for our mission.  It is one of those places where I feel very much at home.  I feel like I really belong there; like I really know the place.  The mood is timeless and I LOVE their deep fried chicken liver.

Roundhouse

This morning, after distributing food out of the food pantry in Steele, MO, we had breakfast at the Steele Family Restaurant.  Along with a full menu, they have a Sunday buffet with a huge selection of food and for only $7.95.  The waitress and her family settled in Missouri after escaping out of New Orleans when Katrina hit.  The plan was to eventually return home but they like where they had found refuge so well, that they decided to stay.

Steele Family Restaurant

Each of these places has provided a little piece of paradise for the people who work there and/or own and work their places.  The family in New Mexico took a risk and became successful business owners at a little spot on Hwy 40; the Roundhouse owner has the built-in wall space to claim bragging rights for her son who plays major league ball with the Seattle Mariners; and one lucky lady found refuge from the storm in a friendly community and was able to rebuild her life.

Mission Post #30

This morning, breakfast table conversation focused on our reaction to the people and things and events that surround us.  Our reactions are too often focused on what we see on the surface and we will learn only a limited amount from what we see there. 

It takes a willingness to give an action, an event, or a person the time to grow into who or what is really being represented.   Are the low number of people at an event perhaps just the right number of people after all. Would we have had the conversations we had or noticed the things we noticed if there had been more people?  Would we get to know the real beauty of the gifts a person has to offer if we hadn't taken the time to be open to them?

God asks us to be patient.  He encourages us to not have the answers right away.  He asks us to take time to let the stories unfold.  Each layer is important and God will show us in His own time.  These are lessons truly worth learning.

Expanding our personal horizons

One of the experiences of living in community is the sharing of cooking responsibilities.  This is, generally, not anything difficult for a woman to slide into.  For a man like Don, however, who does not cook, certain challenges must be hurdled.  

There is meal planning to be considered, creating a shopping list, shopping, working out timing on following a recipe, and fitting all of these activities into a potentially crowded day.  Add to that that he is preparing food for three, not one, and you have one of the biggest challenges Don has ever undertaken.

I'm very proud of him.  His first meal was quite ambitious.  He made fried chicken (all skin carefully removed), mashed yams, corn and spinach.  Below are a series of pictures of Don at work.  And it bears repeating - I am very, very proud of him. And the meal was very tasty

Measuring out some salt

Staging area

The first batch is finished

Shake it up, baby.

In goes the second batch

Chef Don with his meal

His table

Everything plated up.  Isn't it pretty?

 Ready to eat.

And guess what.  He's starting tonight's dinner now.  Hamburger Helper and veggies.  Warm and cozy for this very cold night.

Mission Post #29

This past week has been a lesson in patience.  Don gets impatient with people.  I, on the other hand, get impatient with situations.  There is nothing like wrong directions, unanswered phone calls, and waiting in unnecessary lines to get my blood up.

Granted, wrongs directions and getting lost isn't really a great biggie anymore what with GPS and Navigators on our cell phones.  However, these annoyances are still alive and well in my world when business names are wrong or the address fails to include the directional side of a street (you know - E. or W. 1st, for example) and you are sent off in the wrong direction.  And don't even get me started about having a meet up time and the party on the other end of the meet-up isn't answering their phone and their mailbox is FULL.  Yeah.  Really.  Just ask my friend, Marie.

Of course, there are also situations with lines.  LIKE.  School is getting out and you aren't there picking up a child and find yourself the second place of two lines of cars and you can't GET OUT.  Now that is a situation.  God give me patience.  The whole week has been like that in fits and starts - situations demanding patience and flexibility.

This was the week when we would be working three 4-hour shifts at Mother's House but delays ensued as the snow and ice took over our lives.  We still made progress and finished up all the work at home that would have otherwise been done at Mother's House and considering the coldness, no one would be outside with their children unless it was sheer necessity.

We have high hopes of going this week but with this new snow, I'm learning that parking lot ice may get layered on again.  Or . . . the weather may warm up just enough to start the messy melting phase of snow and ice and promote the appearance of slush.

Of course, today being Saturday and all the work caught up, Don and I had plans to visit a couple of snow-covered cemeteries.  Now, this may or may not happen.  There was also visiting on the agenda.  In small towns, I've discovered, visiting is still a fine art and we had arranged a visit with one of Don's childhood friends.  Now it is a maybe or maybe not.  We'll see.

So patience, and particularly situational, patience, has been my companion this week.  The snow and ice will pass; the line of cars will move; the visiting and exploring will happen - just not in this moment.  In this moment, I need to breathe and find the calm stillness.  That is when God's whisper reaches me.  He tells me to slow down; it's His time, not my time.

So - I leave you with these lines on patience and a reminder that if, you like me, need to slow down in anyway, just remember that patience does not come overnight to those who find it difficult to wait.  Resting in God's will and perfect timing takes work but it's worth the effort.  Peace descends and situations you think are designed to disrupt your flow are actually there to slow you down and take a moment.

Titus 2:2 

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Galatians 5:22 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Colossians 1:11 

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

A Mission Can Be Dangerous

What I've Learned About Ice and Snow

Snow is pretty.  Ice is not.  Snow is fun.  Ice is not.  Snow makes you want to play.  Ice makes you want to be very, very careful.  So - that is exactly what Don and I were doing today when we drove over (carefully) to The Roundhouse for lunch.

The Roundhouse is a popular eatery that has been in Caruthersville forever.  I've been there five times, in 1980, 1985, 1993 (or 94), and twice since we arrived for our mission.  It is one of those places where I feel very much at home.  I feel like I really belong there; like I really know the place.  For you Turlock readers, it's sort of like going to Latif's but Latif's on steroids.  Anyway . . .

We are carefully negotiating our way over the ice from the parking lot to the side walk.  Don is holding on to me (because I am notorious for tripping).  Ice is not friendly to anyone, let alone a klutz like me.  So, we are being very careful.  

Don steadies me.

Don turns around

and . . .

Don runs smack into the corner of a low hanging wooden awning (see extreme right of picture above).  

He knocked himself silly right on the bone over his eye and gave himself a nice little puncture.  Man those little nicks can bleed a lot.  I won't burden you with the bloody eye.  In fact, good wife that I am, I was more concerned about getting him settled with a napkin and some ice rather than recording the moment.  Yeah, I had my priorities right.  Help.  Aid. Fix.

The waitress came to the rescue with a towel wrapped in ice as Don pressed a napkin against the wound.  She followed that up with a tiny band-aid.  God bless her.  Below is the drama, step by step.

Click on me to make be bigger

So, while I've learned that snow and ice are to be respected at all times, it is always the unexpected moments that will get you.  We were prepared for slipping but not for running into awnings.  Moral of the story:  While you are trying to be sure-footed, always keep an eye on what is going on around you.