Debbie,
How very sweet of you...always thinking of everyone else. Weather wise, we're doing ok, here in Chicago. I can't seem to even wrap my mind around the devastation in the Gulf states....so very, very sad. Tonight at 9p is that pacific, central or eastern time??? Be well, Mimi

Good question - lol, but right here it's about 11:17 am or so, i think you're one hour behind like the rest of the states, so let's go with your 9 pm and my 10pm - lol!! al has had cnn on it seems like 24 hours a day,(ds got us satilite tv about 1/2 the price of cable, so we get spokane, detroit, toronto, new york and other canandian cities, who would have ever thought we'd be using computers or watching cable from far arway places?) i will never complain about winter again! it's pleasant here right now after about 4 days of rain and sun with humidity. but you can smell fall in the air.

Hope everyone is ok. Two of my brothers (the 'useless' ones) are in the affected areas. One brother and his wife live in Biloxi, and they went up to other brother's home in Hattiesburg on Sunday. Katrina went directly over Hattiesburg. Haven't heard from them yet, but communications are terrible. One brother may not know the condition of his home in Biloxi for even longer.

Mother is very upset and doesn't understand why we haven't heard from them.

We have some cousins in Texas City (between Galveston and Houston) that we haven't had any contact with in years, but I still wonder about them whenever something bad like this heads their way. I am certainly glad that I know no one in the disaster areas. It is unbelievable. We have had hurricanes here, but nothing like THAT!! It takes such a long time to get things back to normal..
PB

News---- just heard that my two brothers and their wives are all ok in Hattiesburg. No word on when John will be able to see his house in Biloxi.

OK here in Virginia,too. Prayers are good. Some of you may remember Lulie Wayne.....she is in the southern part of LA. Hoping they are OK..Shalom! Derry

Checking in from North of Detroit.
Weatherwise we are good here.
Health wise we are doing much better than earlier in the year. (third hernia surgery and a knee surgery)I am done-I refuse to be sick any more.
I will release a bunch of Monarch butterfies for the prayers of the prayer circle to rise on. I am almost to the end of this years caterpillars. School starts next week and they will all be in the classroom after that. (for the newer people I raise monarch butterflies for the local schools)

For all of you dealing with parents who are ill-keep on strugling, you will be very proud of your self in the years to follow. It was a long struggle for me (almost 6 years-but I have never regretted the struggle or the sacrifices that I made)
Connie

HeyDeb
Im holding hands with you all....Hope everyone is safe...
We are in Northeast Missouri and everything is good here..
My Mom is 99 now and doing good!!!
Think we are going on our first trip in our motorhome to Ill for a wedding the 12th of Sept ...
with the price of gas it is silly to make a 150 mile trip but we got to go...taking Mom with us also which will be hard on me...but think she will have fun and a place to rest when she needs to
hugs and prayers for all of you Imabest

Hello Deb, All is well here in Missouri....so very sad to see the news and all that is going on....prayer and donations to the Red Cross....you feel so helpless for all that have lost everything...your heart aches for them. I most certainly feel so blessed and can't complain about one thing in my life. Good to hear about everyone and God Bless....Nora

Hello,
Being in the NW we have always felt so fortunate & at last evening's blessing my DH added God's hand on those in dire need of help. It does make one feel so helpless as Nora said.
Blessings to all families, Sharlee

HI EVERYONE! i'm so glad that almost everyone has checked in and i do hope all our new family members her check in too - remember you are part of this wonderful family now!! right now we have comedies on the tv, i just can't watch all those poor,poor people, i told Al we should bring afew families here to live with us, i know it is impossible.... i have been in 2 hurricanes when i lived in florida many years ago, but cannot even know what these people are going through. our local red cross opened at 10 am today and by 4 they had raised over 6,000.00. this is wonderful because 2 more mills shut down, and 2 more businesses so alot of people are out of work here. i have upset myself so much over these people that i did give myself a migrane, which is nothing compared to the past few days. i know now that we should count our blessings, care giving is nothing now, and i'm glad that you are all safe my dear,dear friends. it's really windy here - winds about 50mphs, cold about 50 and it's been raining on and off, and of course gas rose from 1.09 this am to 1.29 per litre. debbie

SOOO good to hear from all of you, especially Kathy, Connie and Nora...long time no see. Deb I do agree....feel like driving down there and bringing back a couple of folks. The human spirit is amazing....but I do not know how these survivors are making it. Everybody take care. Shalom, Derry

Hello from Maine, Debbie!

I know I've been very absent for a long time now. Much of it was work related (busy season), some of it was simply "burn out", and lately it's been... VACATION!

Mum has been with my brother for about 9 glorious days now. I have another 8 to savor before she returns to our home. I am SO enjoying the time to myself... so much so that for the first time ever I've contemplated placing her in nursing home. There are things we need to consider carefully before that step is taken, but for me even CONSIDERING the notion is a big step.

But, MAN! I'd nearly forgotten the luxury of being in charge of YOURSELF and no one else. I worked my tail off getting everything set up for my brother... was a little bit pissy about it, too... but in truth, he didn't have a CLUE about where to start. I saw it as an investment in my future sanity... so I sucked it up and did it. I've heard from him twice... once to to request a 'phone number, the other to update my call to see if everything was going OK. It IS.

Best of all, she's having fun! she needed the break more than I probably did.

Count me OUT for the prayer circle, but please do know that I am thinking about you guys, but am too busy BEING FREE to be too involved, lol.

YIPPEEE!

Oh Chelone! Lucky you!!! i wish it was me! school starts for dd on tuesday pm, i hate to admit it but i will miss her,but since this is her last year in hs this semester she is only in school in the morning and the same for the feb. session. she has applied to work at one of our 4 libraries with our luck it will be one that hires her on the other side of town!! (i need this with the price of gas!). our ds got his picture in the news paper (not foranything bad!!) to show a promotional running shoe for Terry Fox (he was running a marathon of hope for cancer and (running across canada) and his cancer came back in 1980 her in ThunderBay)and he passed on so later, and there have been runs in his memory ever since. since our red cross opened for hurricane victims the tally is now in the city over 14,500.00! Paul Schaffer from David LEttermans show will be back here in i think Sept. 21since it is the university here's 40th anniv., we will not be attending since the price is 140.00 a ticket (but he is from here). fall is here i think, it was 42 out this morning, and i swore i saw frost on my windshield at 7:30 this am when i went to get a paper! al is not feeling well, and the kids and i think it might be chf but he says it's a cold, --i don't think so, he's sleeping tooo much and he has no appetite. all i was really goingto say Chelone is that we ALL know that you are in there in spirit (jusst don't be too much of a free spirit-lol)and that's what counts. so tonight my friends, please say an extra prayer for all those folks and all the service people who are trying to help thesepeople out, and smile at someone you don't know at church tomorrow! debbie

Hi All... Just returned from spending some time with family in MD and NJ. Thank God all is well in PA, but our hearts are very sad for all that has happened to the precious ones victimized by Katrina. Does anyone else hate to see all of the political finger pointing going on??? How we need to pull together in America... It's so good to hear from everybody. Has anyone heard from Lu? ~breezy

Hello to all, Good to see everyone post. We do have to go on with our lives but pray,pray for all those effected and those that our helping. Told DH that we should go down to Houston...to voluntee...told him I could just walk around and help hold babies to give Mom's a break....could help out with the elderly...feed,change...whatever their needs...don't know if it will be possible for us to go...asking for prayers that the Lord will open doors for us or close doors....we do have a camp near us and hope to go there and see what we can do. Breezy...how are you? Good to hear that you have been spending time with family. Yes I hate to hear all the political finger pointing...but when you see the reporter in the streets among those that are going thur this and they say where is the water,food and medical care.....you just can't beleive that this is happening here in the U.S. We do have to pull together and help....pray...and give what we can. The Red Cross and Salvation Army are there and doing their job. About Lu....check out my post on the Greiving site...she is o.k. God Bless, Nora

Hi Nora... Thanks for the info on Lu. I would love to go to a center to help, also. I still cry when I see the devestation and suffering - the elderly, a mother and her children, the sick, the grieving, the helpless... just breaks your heart... Thank God we can give and pray... I'm still praying for you and your sweet dad. ~breezy

Breezy, Good to hear from you. I also have shed tears when seeing all that are suffering....thought so much of my dear Mom when I would see the elderly in wheel chairs....we were so blessed weren't we to give such love and care to our Dear Sweet Mothers. I thank God for all his blessings. We are giving Mom's wheel chair and clothes...told my Dad that Mom would have gotten up out of her chair and told us to give. Think it gives Dad comfort to know that her things will be going to those in need. My Mom was a giver....I remember as a child growing up and she worked in the only little store in town....made 25.00 a week....and she would charge food for people in town that were having harder times than we were. You know those people always came back in and paid my Mom....may have been awhile but they paid. Remember the store owner getting on to her for doing it....he could have bought and sold all of us in that little town. Bless you for your prayers. Dad is doing o.k. Garden is starting to go and he has been busy with seeds for next year and we have plans to get his greenhouse ready for the winter....that is going to be a big job....LOL Take care and I also keep you in my prayers.....God Bless, Nora

Hello all,
Here in the NW some people are opening their homes in hopes that some of those with friends or even not here in Oregon will come, so we can help. Yesterday donated some of my Mom's clothes. Dad had quite the wardrobe, so also included some of his things. We have so much & are so grateful. Nora, the wheelchair was a wonderful thing to give. I had already given Mom's to her caregiver for a new lady coming into her home.
When my DH & I fly to Tennessee in Oct we hope to do something more & praying for God to show us where we are to help. We'll be driving back & could return any direction. He's quite excited about that as he feels that it would be a good time to relieve others. He is quite the servant of the Lord & this week has given himself (in fact, for an entire year) to organize the 100th Forester's Reunion where approx 1200 people are expected. Since he grew up in Nashville, college in Missouri, & worked thruout the South he anticipates getting first-hand word of certain areas affected from some of these folks who are coming. God always shows the way, doesn't He?

Blessings to all, Sharlee