As the Waters Recede . . .

I was reminded today of the terrible flooding in Iowa. You know, it seems like it gets a lot less press than the hurricanes do . . . but it is no less devastating.

I lived in Des Moines in 1993. When the last "100-year" flood came through. Buried the downtown in standing water. Shut down the city for a week . . . we ran with port-a-potties and no air conditioning for weeks. I was fortunate to live on a hill (read, "dry") and have running water - my colleagues were not as lucky and more than one came over to my apartment to shower. Strange to have co-workers showering in your house. Well, outside of the normal communal showering parties I was known for hosting . . .

I remember driving to see DrChako in Missouri - he was still going to med school. Driving past farms, the fields turned into giant lakes, the water coming up to the roadside, every so often a fencepost or tractor part sticking up out of the water. A bizarre landscape for sure. The feeling of helpless people must have felt - wait for the water to recede . . . salvage what you can . . . hope you are insured for the rest.

It made me stop and say a little "thank you" that my family is safe right now. Take a moment to think about how lucky you are today.

We laugh because every where we live, we have been present for a major natural disaster. So far, here in Washington, so good . . . Although technically, we live near an active volcano. Which stopped activity in January 2008 of this year. Life could still get interesting.

Good thing we live on a hill. I look terrible in hip waders . . .

Respectfully submitted,

The Wife