Manna from Mayhem || As the Waters Rise

Tuesday afternoon, Jonathan & I ventured back to Carter to check on the water levels and our family's sanity.  Bad news: the water was still coming.  Good news: sanity was still intact all around.  There was mayhem everywhere, but there was also ample manna for the picking.  I have many pictures of Carter structures to share, but I am choosing not to do so today.  The landscape has changed dramatically in the 48 hours since we left, and my pictures do not do justice to the current conditions.  The mayhem was oppressive, weighing down and threatening to suffocate us. 

In spite of scenes like this:

(sandbags outside the home of Ed & Beth Jordan)

and this:

(wheat floating on the water)

and this:

(tops of corn plants)

I found manna. So much manna. Little breaths of air that reminded me Carter will still be Carter when this is over. It's not the land that holds the magic, but the people that call that land home.

The water was disgusting.  GAH-ROSS.  I put on my boots and tromped around in the street, which remained fairly clean.  Likely because water was visibly rushing in.  But, where the water was semi-stagnant all manner of debris floated.

 (that's a corn cob, not excrement...for all you whose brains dwell in the gutter)

It was only after I donned Jonathan's waders (yes, I was very cute and thanks for asking) that I got past the surface debris and sucked into the life around me.  Everywhere, God's creatures were defying the odds, finding high ground.  It was truly amazing.

 Fire ants were mounded on any surface they could find.  Crawling, fighting to stay above water.

 Spiders clung to the sides of Carter store.

Minnows swam EVERYWHERE.

My mother-in-laws day lilies stretched their necks in a losing battle to stay afloat.

Lady bugs crawled up stalks of grass.

There was much to be learned from these animals and plants.  The lesson I took away was to never stop fighting.  As the water rise, as they are bound to do, God will always supply a blade of grass for us to perch and take one sweet breath before plunging in again.

As if that wasn't enough for my little pea brain to digest, my mother-in-law, Kathy, gave me even more.  Those who know her understand she is an endless vault of generosity and piety, and her spirit through this disaster has been unmoving.  She fully believes God will provide what she needs, and her faith hasn't so much as rippled.  As we stood at the end of the road looking into the waters that would soon likely destroy her home,

she turned to me and said, "You know, it's just a house.  In light of Liza's cancer battles (our cousin) and Tommy's cancer (a friend), I know it is just a house."  Wow.  She just found her blade of grass and invited me up for a chat.  We had tea.  And manna.

And, just because it's funny,I thought everyone would like to know that Tupperware does...indeed...float.