By Lois Hewitt

The holidays are fast approaching.  Thanksgiving with all its preparations. Christmas with all its decorations and festivities. And new years with all its optimism. 

As a younger person, I enjoyed the thought of cooking, baking, decorating and shopping.  Buying just the right cards and sending them even to people I barely knew.

The tree stayed up for months as I just couldn’t bear taking it down as it made the house seem so empty.

I always had a Christmas planner with dates for when things needed done.  But I always fell short on time, energy and money.  But the thought was always that this year would be the perfect holiday.

Every year was not the perfect holiday and plans started early so that the next holiday years would be perfect.

As I grew older the idea of all the preparations became more and more tiring.  I suppose if I had children, it might have been different but without that, the holidays became empty for many years.

Simply going through the steps like a robot.  Wishing all the nonsense was over.  Buying gifts that no one wanted. Going deeper into an already deep cavern of debt.

Soon the holidays meant nothing. I felt not a thing for them or about them.

This continued for many years. A fake enthusiasm for all the great fun it would be.  The closer we came to total financial ruin, the harder it was to pretend.

Then the bottom fell out completely. No home, no stuff and no money except that which was generously given by friends and family. Rock bottom.

Today my holidays are completely different.  Gone are the planners, the cards, the extreme menus and the gifts.

Today I understand what I was missing before.  Greed has been replaced with gratitude. Chaos has been replaced with peace.  And high expectations have been replaced with the true joy of the season.

I have fallen in love again with the holiday season.  I now enjoy them. I do not partake in any craziness.  I simply look around with extreme gratitude.

Gifts I no longer give or need to receive except for the one greatest gift of all.  The birth of our Savior, Jesus.  I used to say I celebrated the reason for the season but the reality was not that truth.

Today I celebrate my love for Jesus and His uncompromising love for me.  His birth started a chain reaction that changed the entire history of the world.

He came to show humans a better way to live through loving one another.  He showed us, through His life, how to behave. And He gave His life to forgive our sins and give us the gift of eternal life with Him.

Once I realized that solid truth, my holidays changed and my life changed. 

That’s not to say the fun and parties are bad.  Just for me, I have changed how I view it all.  It used to be a show, but now it is an internal feeling of true gratitude and love.

What’s the point of this post, you ask.  I know so many people who just get burned out during this time of year.  Many are so very sad.  I used to be that person.

I realized you don’t have to ride society’s merry-go-round.  You can say no.  You can forgo the cards and gifts. You can create new traditions that feed your soul.  You can rethink what you believe.

If you love it the way it is, good for you.  Don’t change a thing.  But if you are overcome by it all, you are allowed to take care of yourself.

For me it was meeting Jesus where I was, crying in my desperation and finding His love that renewed me.  That’s my point today, you can reclaim your holidays. Some people may not be happy about it, but when you are living the true truth, the peace is worth it.

May your holiday season bring you the joy your soul needs to thrive!

By Lois Hewitt

This age we live in where people post their entire life on social media may be a bit out of control. But I just watched one video that really hit home.

The woman in the video lives with a chronic illness and it showed some of the struggles she deals with every single day.

No energy / loads of energy
Being fine / not being fine
Wanting to shower / too weak to shower
Crazy activity / crawling to bed to “just lay down for a minute”
Binge eating / thinking I never want to eat again
Brain fog / extreme clarity
Being clumsy / being more clumsy

And so much more….

I thought it was just me.  Struggling every day, sometimes every hour, with opposite ends of energy levels. 

One minute I’m crying because I’m so blessed, then I’m crying because “my life isn’t working” and then I’m just crying for no reason. 

One minute I’m cleaning everything, the next I can’t even move.

This has been my life for years, now it’s amplified. I thought it was only me.  But when I opened my eyes to the lives around me, I realized that it’s not isolated. It’s not just a few. So many lovely people deal with all kinds of chronic illnesses everyday.

“Well you certainly don’t look sick”  is one of the worst things to say.  I may look okay on the outside but inside I’m fighting to stand up straight.  Or someone may be struggling to breathe or not fall down or any number of things.

My eyes were opened today that clinging onto your own sanity due to illness is at epidemic proportions.

Many times it is those things you cannot see.  The things that maybe cannot be treated or diagnosed are the things that weigh heaviest on a person.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors (translated to mean everyone).  We do not have the ability to see inside another person’s soul, to see their pain, past or present.  We cannot see what hurts physically or emotionally.  We cannot see from the outside what is happening on the inside.

I guess that’s why Jesus called us to that because we all suffer. We all hurt. We all have our cross to bear.  Kindness helps soothe the pain.  Gentleness eases the anxiety. Caring bring healing.

I used to think it was just me who suffered in silence. Thus my world just revolved around me.  Now, thanks to my new reality of cancer, I see it’s not just me. It’s all of us who are struggling.

So as Jesus calls us to be kind and loving, today I will try to be more like Him.  To see others pain as I move through my own.  To care for others when I need caring myself.

Maybe that bigger world view will actually ease my own struggles as I take my mind off my own woes and look at someone else’s situation.

We are all in this crazy world together. Facing things that scare and confuse us. We all struggle at one time or another. 

Being kind and gentle to one another is a beautiful gift to give. It not only touches the other person’s soul, it heals our own.

I guess Jesus knew what He was talking about when He called us to love one another.  Today I will love like Jesus.

By Lois Hewitt

Hope.  The definition is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. 

I hope I win the lottery.
I hope the weather is nice this weekend.
I hope I can get into a good college.
I hope I can see my grandchildren grow up.
And on and on…

Hope is that little buzz of optimism that keeps us going.  The hope that things will get better goes a long way during dark days. 

But does hope really work?  I’ve hoped for many things in my life…a book deal, an unexpected windfall, so many things.  Many never came to fruition.  These are my worldly hopes, but what does God say about hope.

The Bible calls us to have hope in the Lord and He will renew our strength (Isaiah 40).  We are called to have hope in the Lord for He will take care of us according to His will. Our hope is to be in God’s goodness and faithfulness. Our hope is in the blood shed by Christ for our sins.

Biblical hope looks much different than worldly hope. As we hope for things, money, health or whatever our needs may be, we need to remember true hope is in Jesus for those things He provides like strength for the trials, guidance in life, His love and salvation to name a few.

That’s not to say that He doesn’t want you to have a new car or whatever you are hoping for.  But our true hope should be in Him and our eternal life with Him.

It is okay to hope for things and changes to situations. 
But it is important to focus on Jesus. The things of this world can distract us from Him.  I am the first to admit shiny things can pull me away from Him.  Then I start to stumble and doubt. 

My job is to look for Him in all my situations.  Look to Him in all my many needs. To rest in the assurance of His plan and His love.  All things will happen according to His plan not mine.

I have days where I seem to lose all hope.  Hopeless I am. Nothing is good and I hate everything. I feel like Job where it is all going wrong. In those moments my eyes have left Him and are focused on me.  That is a lonely and desperate place to be.

Then He gently refocuses my view back to Him and my hope returns. Without hope I would never get out of bed, never shower, never care. Hope is the medicine I need to endure the hardships of life.  He keeps my soul healthy. 

I think it’s important to remember where our true hope lies. Not in the possessions or status but in the Lord Jesus Christ who rules over all things and plans what is best for us regardless of what we think is best.

Jesus came down from Heaven to be man.  He lived with hurt, loss, and all the things we bear as humans.  He died an absolutely horrific death at the hands of man. He died and rose again.

He did that for everyone of us. He did that to give us hope in Him.  Not the world but in Him.  Today my focus is back on Him.  Have hope today that Jesus is in charge and His plan is always for good.

By Lois Hewitt

The saga continues…

I’m finding out what you have to do when things don’t turn out how you hoped.

Went to my oncologist (she and her team are truly amazing, by the way) to discuss what is the next step.

The plan is one I certainly did not expect. My type of cancer is very rare and aggressive. Chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy have no effect on it.

So every three months I get a CT scan and look for its return (there is a high chance of that) and have another surgery.  No “cure”, no plan of action except to wait.

That’s not really what I wanted to hear but that is my new reality.  Many of us a struggling with new realities.

I have written a lot lately about trying to cope when things do not turn out your way.  Whether it health, weather or any other of the many things going on now, many are struggling with not liking their new reality.

I broke down a bit this morning. Mad that I just have to live with this, mad at the expense of it all and just mad overall. 

Guess what being mad did?  Raised my blood pressure.  Made my stomach hurt.  Gave me a really bad attitude. And did nothing constructive.

After my little tantrum, I wrote out my plan of attack which includes a cancer diet, sun therapy and an exercise regimen. All things known to waylay cancer.  It’s what I can do…and have a positive attitude.

The negativity of not getting our own way has many horrific side effects to our health and it usually does not change the core problem.

I don’t have the cheerful gene. I can’t just sit here and think positive thoughts. I have to work at it.  Getting over anything traumatic in life requires more than just flowery words. It requires you to take control of the negative thoughts and kick them to the curb.

Being grateful is a great counterbalance to negativity. But, unfortunately, the mind defies you to be grateful. Even if there is so much to be grateful for.  You just have to keep trying to overcome your hurdle.

I was struggling and my husband asked me where my faith was in all this.  I was not happy with the question at first but it made me think the same thing.

I talk about handing it over to Jesus. Knowing He has a plan. Knowing that He will provide. Saying it and living it can be two different beasts. 

I try to live it every day. But the days come when you are hurting, disappointed, confused or just plain afraid of the now and the future.

So here is me thinking I have to always live with this cancer, wondering where and when it will return.  Now I can absolutely ruin today worrying about some time in the future. Or I can give it to Jesus and re-find my joy.

Frankly I’m very tired of worrying and being mad. This is my new reality and accepting it, while being proactive in the things I can, will bring me peace and joy. The kind the world can’t understand. It’s the kind from my Healer, my Savior and my Friend…Jesus.

I can’t change the cancer but I can change how I live with it. Living with bitterness and hate only hurts you and changes nothing. Think of it as protecting your well-being.  Caring for yourself. And in turn you just may find, regardless of your circumstances, peace and the ability to move onward and upward.

As we all struggle with our personal new realities, start on your knees (figuratively if you must) and give it to Jesus. His shoulders are so much bigger than ours. He has the strength to carry the burdens we struggle with. It’s not easy and, like me, can be a daily struggle to give the worry away. But the act of unloading the burden just may get you through the rough days.

That’s my prayer for us all. Regain peace and joy through the One who provides it all!

By Lois Hewitt

What do you do when things are not going your way?

The old me would have thrown fits and complained to everyone I saw. The old me did not understand that life has a way of throwing you off course. Life has a way that seems very unfair.

Oh how I hated when things turned upside down for me.  I never thought I deserved it. I never understood why it was happening to me.  I was totally unprepared for the realities of life.

It took decades to figure it out to some degree. It’s not always just about me. I always talk about a bigger picture. That is what I could never see before.

So how does cancer, for example, fall into the bigger picture. I honestly have no idea. But from the beginning I’ve said that this cancer isn’t about me as much as it’s about what God is doing through me.

Fair?  Maybe not but who am I to question God. Who am I to say that someone else won’t be touched by my diagnosis?  I don’t know the plan but now I know I am part of it. 

What lessons have I learned from the easy times?  Let’s see, none.  In fact, for me anyway, the good times set me back a bit. I wish it wasn’t that way but truth be told I forget God when the times are good.  I rely on myself and that is NEVER a good thing.

So the curveballs of life keep me centered and grounded.  They allow me to look up and see God.  I use the not-so- great times to learn about myself and new ways to cope.  It is here I learn to become a better human being.

Oh cocky I can be when the suns always out.  Arrogant I am when I think I have it all figured out. Not a great person am I when I think I’m a great person.

These times, like now, show me what steps I need to take, show me humility and gratitude, and show me where I can help others.  Things that elevate humanity, not drag it through the mud.

The difficult times, I wish on no one, can be some of the best times as far as growth goes.  I seem to grow better and deeper under pressure. The vice grip that is life’s struggles, hone my humanity, hone my empathy and hone my ties to God.

So what do I do now when things don’t go my way?  I cry, I won’t lie. It is still difficult. But when the tears dry, I take action.  I research and I learn. I question and I’m thankful.

The curveballs are meant to change your consciousness not to fully get you lost in the weeds. But to see things beyond your immediate sight. To feel things beyond the surface. To look for pieces of the bigger picture.

Sometimes our situation seems locked into place. You may struggle in one place for a while but the situation will change eventually. Then you will be able to look back and see those things that were not in your direct sight. To see further than you could when you were in the middle of it.

Some days things look bleak, especially when they aren’t going your way…i know what that’s like. You have to trust that things will change, that it is most likely not going to be as bad as you imagine it to be and open your heart to receive the blessings you cannot even imagine.

Blessings. They do come in the dark times and they are usually the sweetest. If things are upside down for you right now, try focusing on what you can learn from this, how you can grow and how you can change.

Change your outlook and the forecast seems brighter. Hang in, as the pieces fall into place.  It is not easy but it is possible.

By Lois Hewitt

I have written tens of posts in the last two weeks. Some I posted and then deleted and some never saw the artificial light of Facebook’s screen.

Desperately, I want to post the most prophetic words known to man.  Words to bring comfort and peace to all. Words that will start the healing process and comfort those in pain of all varieties.

I have tried many things looking for those words. Nothing of substance solidified.

Words, even though I’m not a great wordsmith, have always been there to comfort me. They allow me to bring to fruition thoughts and ideas that are meant to envelope me during difficult times.

This time in my history is one of my most difficult and the words I yearned for so badly have eluded me.

No turn of a phrase.  No heartfelt message.  No words of commonality. Nothing. Just babble.

I think life works that way. Sometimes the very thing you cling to just disappears. That lifeline we hang on to comes to an abrupt end.  Then what?

Maybe those things we hold onto so tightly interfere with our relationship with Jesus. Maybe we are in need of a reminder that we are not in charge. I, personally, forget that at times.

So I  had no words worth writing and I also had no words for prayer.  But Jesus knows our heart. He knows the pain of illness and the fear of its future.  He knows the frustration of circumstances, natural and otherwise. He knows loss and pain and fear and uncertainties. 

He alone fills those gaping holes in our soul. He knows what we need before we do.  He knows the bigger picture, that of which we may never see in its full extent.

Maybe my words were impeding me, all the time I thought it was the lack of them that was.  Maybe I needed to be in a holding pattern in order to readjust my soul to what’s needed next.  Maybe I just needed to stop, be quiet and trust Him.

The words are slowly trickling back like a small stream after a big rain.  A little here and there but more to come. No hurricane references intended as the pain of that is still ever present.

Just the idea that we have seasons of great activity and seasons of great inability.  Each has its own process and its own way to growth. 

I know you are struggling right now.  Natural disasters, health issues, loss of loved ones, financial setbacks and more may have you looking for a beacon of light. Jesus is that beacon.  He has been with me during the times I did nothing but doubt.

He is in charge. I know many do not believe. All I know is what has been my experience and that has shown me His way. The times I doubted the most, He was closest to me.

The times I cried in grave need, He had His arms around me.  The times I was defiant and questioning, He waited patiently for my tantrum to pass.  He has always been with me.  That is my experience.

Today I feel like I can pray again, read again and write again.  The hopelessness that has been the last few weeks of illness and natural disasters is lifting. Leaving straight the path of what’s next.

I pray that the heavy season does not return too quickly but that as the path to the future clears, I can stay focused on His prophetic words rather than worrying about mine.

Better days are ahead, there are coming!

By Lois Hewitt

I owe my friends and family an apology…again.  I seemed to have lost my grip on positivity.

Between cancer, surgery, Helene, being out of my apartment for a month and this _____ election … I’m barely hanging on some days.

Now this is NOT a call for pity. I don’t accept pity but I have to wonder if there are others out there struggling. 

I did a post earlier this morning railing on how awful people are and how awful the world is. And I was wrong.

It ain’t perfect but it is what we have, right?  I will not say that things could not be worse because:

1.  They can always be worse.

2.  Comparing your situation to someone else’s devalues your experience. We all have our crosses to bear.

Dr. Tony Evans says we are either in a trial, just got out of a trial or will be heading into one.  We all have our crosses to bear. That is the human condition in a fallen world.

I’m becoming someone I do not particularly care for.  I’m starting to see the bad more.  I don’t say I want to go around like I’m unaware, but I need to pepper all that’s happening with the good in the world.

As I communicate with people I know, there is a sense of foreboding. A sense of helplessness.  A sense of negativity.

Even my prayers fall flat lately. This happens to everyone, there is a season for this feeling.  But I plug away, struggling to find the words.  Sometimes I come up with some, other times my heart has to do the praying. At times I feel depleted.

We all do at times.  Especially during these turbulent days in which we live.  I could list all the maladies in today’s world, but you already know them.  Going over it isn’t helping anyone.

So what do we do if we are running on empty and there’s no fill up station in sight?

Right now I am out of my regular schedule or routine.  Never have I valued the comfort of a routine before. I do now.  So maybe having a routine brings a sense of normalcy to life.  That’s important.

Finding little things that bring pleasure. I love to read but find concentrating difficult at the moment, so I’m trying other things to help bring a sense of comfort.  A cup of tea, sitting in the sun, taking a short walk, it doesn’t have to be a big thing.

Finding someone to laugh with.  There is no medicine that works better than laughter. Laughter is the chemo for depression.

If you are a person of faith, hang on to Jesus.  Hang on with all you have.  Faith is believing in things not seen.  He has a plan, I’m sure of it. I find much comfort in that. 

As I was being wheeled into surgery a few weeks ago, I felt all the prayers being sent covering me with His light. Let’s not forget how important it is to pray for others. You may think the words of prayer just float up into space with no real direction.  I can tell you first hand that prayers do work.  And prayers for others can get your mind off of you.

Now if nothing helps, nothing brings comfort, PLEASE talk to someone. You don’t have to suffer in silence. There are places that are here to help. PLEASE do not give up.  If things get really bad, call 911.

Today I am struggling. Tomorrow I may be better.  These are the times we live in.  No matter what the Internet says, or the news reports, or an influencer suggests, it is not all bad. There is good.  There is love.  There is compassion and understanding.

I’m not ready to give up and I certainly hope you aren’t either.  Let’s find our light, our comfort, our new normal and embrace the world with all its flaws. 

By Lois Hewitt

Ting. Ting. Ting.  The sound of rain on the roof.  A sound we have all heard thousands of times.

Yesterday that sound played different.  Yesterday that sound caused panic.

The weather here in WNC has been beautiful since Helene blew through. This has been a blessing for recovery efforts.

Yesterday as I sat, I heard that sound of rain hitting the metal roof.  I ran to the window and saw leaves blowing in the wind.  Panic overcame me and I wasn’t the only one.

I used to love little light rainstorms in the spring and fall.  Light rain as leaves fell from the trees.  A great memory.

That is all different now.  I have heard many other people in the area voice the opinion that now we fear flooding.  Now we fear weakened trees dropping.  Now we fear more problem with water we still can’t drink or use to cook.  Now our perspective is different.

Helene not only changed lives and landscape, it changed how we feel. It upped our fear factor.

Flash floods happen here all the time due to mountain run off.  They were a nuisance and sometimes caused damage. They were something we were used to. That has all changed.

Like with any trauma, your emotions and nervous system go on high alert.  No one will ever forget the images of the flooding, the trees down or the devastation we drive by and through everyday.

Truly collective trauma.  We ask ourselves when will it be normal again?  When can we go back to the way it was?

Normal will be a new one.  We will feel joy again without guilt.  We will see rebuilding and and will accept that which isn’t. Life has a funny (not haha) way of moving on and we will all move on as we grieve the lives lost and the lives changed.

I hope we all remember that as the light shows more and the veiled darkness fades, that neighbors and communities helped one another.

No thought given to politics, religion or lifestyles.  Help was offered to one and all.  No questions asked.  I pray we all remember the so many who fought through their own hardships to lend a free and open hand to anyone in need.

Trauma does that…it unifies and dictates a better sense of humanity. Through the pain, love shines like a beacon in the dark.  With no regard to personal criteria.

Things are fixing to change again, for the entire nation as well as the world.  As the election draws near, I pray we all remember the humanity, the selfless love and dedication shown to one another. 

That right there is the crux of being human.  A helping hand.  A true sense of gratitude.  An outpouring of love. And groups of people that run the gamut, working together with no division, but a common goal.  As the next few weeks play out, may we remember all that has happened.

And may we all still work together.  That is my prayer. But the human condition always seems to reset back to strife.  I pray this time is different. 

Only time will tell how the next few weeks will evolve. And of course, our tragedy did not impact everyone, so who knows what will happen.

God knows and that’s good enough for me. Personally, it will be a long time until I forget the sights of Democrat hugging Republican. Or Christian hugging a non-believer.  I will remember those beautiful sights for a long time.

For now, the rain still scares me. For now, I do fear what’s coming. But I trust that my God is in charge of all things and that His will be done on earth. 

Be kind to each other.  We are truly all in this together.

By Lois Hewitt

Yesterday was my almost two week follow up appointment from my surgery.  I was to learn what the results of the pathology were and discuss the next steps. 

Chemo makes me really nervous so I have been fretting this discussion for some time. 

We get to the doctor and find out that the pathology hasn’t come back yet. Therefore we had to postpone the discussion for two more weeks.

It’s hard when you are looking for something, good or not so good, and the reality of that  is pushed back.  It’s a letdown, a dissappointment.

It is normal to become frustrated. We all have our own timelines for our life.  I want a child by… I want that job by… I want this or that by… I want to know about my health issue by…

Anyone who has ever had to wait knows that when God’s plan is in place, you plan and plan and plan and still not get the results you wanted.

What do you do then?  Get mad.  That doesn’t solve anything or change the fact that  you still have to wait.  Sit aimlessly and wait?  No, that is not the answer either. So what have I found in my periods of waiting?

Keep moving forward.  The outcome you wanted may not be here yet (and I’m sorry, sometimes you get a hard no) but there are still ways to keep going.

I waited for a baby for decades. I thought I could will myself pregnant (I know that’s not how it works lol) and obviously that never happened.  But I wasted many years in a hovering pattern waiting and wishing.

Those years could have been much more productive but they were not. Not a good reaction.

I’ve waited for jobs, jumped the gun and been miserable because they were not a good fit. Also not a good reaction.

So what do you do?  I’ve learned to pray in earnest for God’s will, which isn’t always mine. And keep going until the path is clear.

For me today that means I continue to heal and do some more research on what I need to know for the conversation I will be having.  I’m not angry and I’m not jumping into anything.  I exercise patience.

Patience is so very hard.  It sometimes feel like you are not doing anything. But you are.  You are exhibiting restraint and are waiting for the light to change to show you the way to turn.

That is the most important thing you can do.  Anger and frustration just lead to burn out and illness. Jumping the gun can lead you into a whole new difficult situation that you had not imagined.

I know my jobs and my life are so small in the whole timeline of life. I know God has other more important things to do.  But I also know He cares for me and He does guide me. I just need to chill enough to wait for His timing.

If you are not a believer, this may sound like some sort of sorcery or something. An all knowing God directing your path.  Here’s the thing, in my 62 years on this earth, I have done things my way.  I have been impatient. And I have made bad decisions because I wanted something. In those times, I did not pray nor was I patient. And my life was chaos.

Now I know better.  I pray in earnest and wait.  My life moves much more smoothly and peacefully.  So you can say I’m a nut who believes in a fairy tale but I say I know from wherst I came and I know the difference between waiting and not.

So if you are in a time of waiting. My advice to you is to remain calm, pray, do what you can and wait for the rest.

It’s never easy to wait on God. All we know is time.  He doesn’t do time like we do.  We cannot understand the waiting but I can attest that I have not regretted one season of waiting.  His plan is bigger and better than mine.

So sit at His feet, read His word and practice patience.  The answer will come if you know how to wait for it. I promise, He will never let you down!

By Lois Hewitt

Last night I had my first hurricane related nightmare.  I dreamt that I was trapped and could not get rescued.

I can’t speak for anyone else but I think that many people in the area may be having the same such dream.

As the days pass, each of us becomes more aware of what really happened during that horrible hurricane.  Another assumption is, like me, many of us probably never experienced such a devastating storm.

It’s hard to wrap your head around it.  So many houses with giant dumpsters in their driveway full of furniture and memories. All headed to a landfill.

Windows boarded up.  Cars tipped over and smashed.  Downed trees literally everywhere.  So much destroyed.

This is a resilent area, they will rebuild but no one will ever be the same.  Too many lives lost.  Too many lives changed.  You just can’t go back to the way it was.

My truest belief is that God has a plan.  I thought about that this morning.  I and everyone in the path of Helene were just living our lives.

Going to work.  Going to school. Making plans for the fall season.  Thinking about Christmas.  And all the things we people do on a regular day.

I remember hearing that Helene was headed our way but I could not conceive of a hurricane coming this far north into the mountains. But  I have been around enough to know to hunker down and ride it out.

But when the storm clouds disappeared and the bright sunlight illuminated the area, I do not think anyone could have imagined what Helene left behind.

The early days were just panic and frenzy.  With communication lines down, the inability to check on loved ones was truly the worst part.  Add no power and water.  Weeks later, some still out.

After the initial shock, we all learned about a growing death toll.  Makes having to brush your teeth with bottled water seem like not a big deal.

We were blessed. We were spared. But so many were not.  Even the coldest of hearts has to feel a twinge of sadness.

Beyond the terrible loss of life, businesses totally destroyed. Jobs lost maybe permanently.  How do you live and support your family if your job floated down the French Broad River? 

Two weeks after the storm, on my way to my surgery, we passed tanker trucks full of water at the hospital.  As the city water facilities were decimated and water had to be trucked in.

Nothing is back to normal. Normal is going to have to be reimagined. 

Taking things for granted is not an option anymore.  Priorities change.  Your world view shifts.  And you realize all the plans and schedules you made can change in an instant.

God’s plan, obviously, is not my plan.  There are times when you get upset.  And you ask why?  The answer doesn’t come.  You just have to have faith.  Oh that sounds so hollow when you think of the loved ones lost. But I could not go on if I didn’t think that there was a bigger plan in place.

There will be a new normal.  The events of late September 2024 will take a long time to be forgotten. 

I will continue to believe in God’s plan even if I don’t understand it.  We are called to believe which is really easy when everything is kittens and sunflowers. It is not so easy when the storm clouds roll in.  But you have to take the good with the not so good.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this area with gifts, donations and prayers. As we all try to move on, move forward, we will continue to rely on those precious prayers sent on our behalf.

Today I will try to fully accept God’s plan and thank Him for the kindnesses and love He gives.  I may not understand it all but we must walk by faith and not by sight.