My week started out pretty blissful, especially after last week. Once again, thanks to all the rain, my outside work was kept to a minimum. Saturday, I ran some errands, and I got to spend some quality time with my adult daughter. Sunday my husband and I worked on some projects around the house. On Monday, Memorial Day, we were visited by my husband’s nephew and his girlfriend. There’s nothing quite like a cookout with family. Especially when you haven’t seen them in a while.
By Tuesday, I was starting to have a sense of peace over my inability to get any work done outside. It had stormed every day, and water was now standing all over my field. The only ones happy about all that water are the frogs and my English Pointer who loves to hunt them. He’s very amusing to watch. If you can envision a dog that sometimes acts like a cat…When he sees a frog, he stalks it like a cat. Then he pounces on it—or he tries. The frogs are always faster than him. He will spend hours running around our stock tank or along the river looking for frogs. By the end of the day he is exhausted and in his bed.
On Wednesday I found out that the river that makes up the back part of my property was predicted to go over its banks. Due to all the rain, the lake upstream was full and the flood gates were opened. If you can believe, I was still not stressing. Kudos for me! We had a pretty major flood in 2007. We came through it pretty well, so I knew what to expect.
The way that I found out about the impending flood was from friends checking to see if we were going to evacuate. Local media reports were giving a wide range of possible water depth for the crest. People started to panic. Facebook started getting bombarded with posts from people envisioning the worst.
I am a person who likes to plan things out. I like to have all the details up front so I can make sound decisions. All the hysteria on Facebook was really starting to get to me. So, I did a little research. I already knew where online to find instantaneous data on the river, courtesy of the USGS; I can monitor the water height and the flow rate. A little research on my computer turned up a page on the NOAA website that has current river conditions, predicted conditions, and historical data for past flooding occurrences. With all that information I was able to see how high the river crested at in 2007, the height and time it was predicted (by NOAA) to crest this time, and how long it would be over the banks. Turns out that this flood was going to be minor compared to 2007. I was happy; well except for Facebook.
So I did what I do best. I shared my new found information with everyone on Facebook. Once again, I was happy. But still, the panic filled posts kept coming. Many of those people did not live there when it flooded in 2007; but I did. I tried to assure them that the bridge was not going to wash out, and that this flood was not going to be as bad as they envisioned. I was really starting to get frustrated. Don’t get me wrong. Flooding is scary and often dangerous. Living close to creeks, lakes, and rivers can negatively affect your life when it just won’t quit raining.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was also letting my emotions get the better of me. I know what it’s like to face the unknown of rising water. I know how it feels to be at work and wondering how high the water is now. Will it get into my house? Are my animals safe? Will I be able to get back to my house, or will the roads be impassible? And what about my elderly mother and my teenage daughter still at the house? Will they be trapped there?
When I allowed compassion take the place of my frustration, I could begin to see that the community that I live in honestly cares about their neighbors. People were checking on each other, offering refuge to anyone who needed it, and were constantly sharing information that they had about the situation. What a great little community I live in. Even people from outside of my community were checking on us and offering a place to stay.
It feels a lot better to exist in a place of compassion than a place of criticism. And as I monitor the NOAA and USGS websites, I am more graciously able to make posts to my Facebook community. There is another flood coming. The river will crest Saturday night. It is predicted to be as bad as in 2007. I know what that means, but many here do not. From what I have seen on Facebook today, many do not even seem to know that another flood is already in progress. I will do my best to help keep people informed, and be thankful for everyone who asks questions; whether they need information, help, or whether they are offering help. A great community is made up of great people.
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
–May I lead by example, as I am led by example–
