Snooze

As you all know by now, Nashville experienced a terrible and monumental flood just under a month ago. It was a very sudden and extreme event that took everyone by surprise.

Just after 3:00 in the afternoon, I was saying good bye to my friend Trae (who had just finished cutting my hair). She closed down the shop and we parted ways with a slight comment about how heavy the rain was coming down. Within several minutes of driving away, I hit a patch of traffic. I had planned to stop at Wal-Mart to get a few things (like Shampoo because I was completely out) and some baby items. Having grown accustomed to the traffic in Nashville, I didn't think much about the waiting. I did notice a house next to the road which was slightly lower in level. The entire yard was flooded and the people were wading through the water to get into the house. Not sure why everyone was in the yard, but assuming everything was fine, I kept driving... not looking too far ahead and not realizing what was really going on. SNOOZE

Moments later, I found myself facing a flooded road. Several people ahead of me had made it through the water, so I thought I could too. I did... but halfway through I realized I was in deep, so to speak, and was just hoping I wouldn't get stuck.

Took a left turn to head to Wally World, my ultimate desired destination but ran into another flooded road. Again, thinking.. I can make it. And yes, I made it again, but now I was very afraid. Trae called to be sure I was safe and she too had ran into road blocks. She turned around to go a new route on 24 East and I took 24 West to head to my house. I actually drove quite cautiously and arrived home in a surprising 30 minutes. NOTE: I drove 24 West and passed several exits including Briley Parkway. Nearly a half hour later, the news was reporting that exit as being flooded and video proved it was completely underwater and impassable. Oh, the hand of God was upon my car and my path... I am certain of that.

It wasn't long before I heard from Trae again... she was trapped on 24 East just before Bell Road. If you haven't watched the news or heard, this was one of the worst trouble spots and someone actually lost their life after getting stuck in the flash flood at this exit. Trae sat for many many hours scared to death. We also lost contact for about 30 minutes and were fearing for the worst. Trae had just told me earlier that day "I can't swim.". SNOOZE

No one wants to face difficulty and this was a difficult situation. I can't tell you how scary it was to watch the flash flooding live on tv while my friend sat helplessly waiting for something. In that part of the interstate, there is no median- only a wall. And no one was turning around. But, an angel in disguise, a government vehicle, advised her to follow him. They turned around on the emergency lane and drove back to the prior exit. It was there she waited until Thomas was able to get to her and lead her home. Of course, this took hours due to the re-routing constantly to avoid flooded roads.

The Point: The floods were worse than any one person or any one place could have perceived until it was all over - days later. It wasn't until Monday that it began to sink in: tragedy, disaster, emergency, desperation, nothingness. All of this was sinking in. We drove out one evening to eat dinner and were amazed to see firsthand what we had seen on our screen. It was more than devastating, it was beyond words. SNOOZE

I asked Thomas if he thought our basement was okay. Many friends had more than a foot of water in their basement and they were having to use sump pumps and good ol' buckets to remove the water. It was a grueling process I am sure. Assured we were okay, I "double-checked" just to "be sure". SNOOZE: PLEASE LET ME SNOOZE NOW

And immediately I saw the water line on the wall leading into the basement. You could even see the "river" path in the yard leading to the basement door. New Note: our basement floor is all dirt and most walls are dirt... a muddy mess was waiting on us.

Thus ensued Thomas tracking through the mud and removing many, many boxes of photos, memorabilia, books, cds, tapes (yes I said tapes), and other "stuff". It was oddly exhausting to separate every single photo to dry in the sun. It was also oddly nostalgic to see pictures from college and even high school. Pre- "Thomas&Dita". But then, the saddest loss I would experience would be considered ridiculously silly and insignificant in light of what others had lost through the rushing waters.

Thomas retrieved a chest I had been saving since I was probably 13 years old. It contained so many memories. Letters from my mother as she struggled to put her life back together, letters from my grandmother who cared so deeply that I would focus on school/college, letters from my best friend from Junior High School after I moved 1,000 miles away for high school. Snooze...

porcelain dolls, my first Barbie (I bought her with my own birthday money when I was 8 and she cost about $9.) my report cards from 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade. certificates from Bible School. my high school diploma. letters to/from Thomas when we first fell in love. graduation cap and gown from HS & College. The list goes on and on.

The sun was so bright and warm that day. It was almost blinding. I sat on the ground for much of that time sorting through which letters to salvage, which to throw away. I tried hard not to cry but kept finding myself mourning the loss of my things or at least the "condition" of my things.

One other thing I found was a snooze button. yes, a snooze button. When I was in college, I bought a little white alarm clock for my dorm room. It came with a "remote" snooze button that was attached to a 4-5 feet long cord which connected to the alarm clock console. It was a nice thing to have at first, but quickly became a hinderance. a wall. a disruption from a much needed structure/routine. It was eventually retired and stored in my chest. Not sure why it was there until now:

I stood in my yard holding the snooze button realizing I had been pushing snooze all weekend. Most of us had in some ways. No one wanted to really face the reality of what had happened. avoiding the basement. cooking dinner like normal while the news ran story after story of flash flooding that Saturday evening.

So, my story concludes. We are safe, healthy, and blessed. And many in Nashville are also safe but in desperate need of rebuilding, clothes, simple necessities like school uniforms and socks, and countless other items. Let us not keep hitting the snooze in life. Let us wake up: taste it all: bitter or sweet: good or bad: and let us not give up the faith.

Psalm 69:14-16 (New International Version)

¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.

¹⁵ Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.