Finding Laughter In Difficult Times

Most of us thought the storm situation would be over quickly.  In fact, when our son was helping us pack to go stay at my mom’s place, he said, “Remember, Pa, this is only for a day-maybe 2-3 the most.”  As the days went on, we would all realize the situation would be far worse than we all imagined.  Three days later when my son and I went to assess our cabin’s damages, we actually received a phone call.  It was from our worried son-in-law, Andy.  They were all very concerned about us because they were able to see pics of events on the news we would never see.  We could get calls from the states, but not locally.

He and our daughter Milcah had a crazy idea.  They wanted to find a way to mail us much-needed materials.  All over the news it was being reported how people were stealing generators from churches, businesses, even using cranes to steal huge, commercial generators from highway pay-tolls!  People would call in asking how anyone stealing something like that not be seen and arrested!  People from the states that were sending batteries, flashlights, and generators, were having them stolen at the docks or at the post offices.  Our kids (Milcah & Andy) met a man through Andy’s parents who owns a private shipping company.  He made a deal with them: “Pack an entire 55’ container for me with emergency materials for Puerto Rico and you can send all you want to your family for free.” Since my daughter is just like me when it comes to organizing and packing, she took him up on his offer.  In came the calls asking what we needed.

Immediately, our daughter contacted friends, family, her students, and involved her church.  All types of items from non-perishables, four generators, hand wipes, water filter, over fifty packs of bottled water, and a car battery, were stocked in seven pallets that would be sent to us.  Every day after her teaching job, our daughter would organize and pack boxes that would eventually go on pallets not only for us, but for others on the island.  It was a risk not knowing if the items would reach us, but it was worth the taking.  Our kids were attempting to save our lives at the risk of much personal loss.

But isn’t that what it’s like when you give your life away to the Lord?  You take a risk by trusting God; by believing He knows what He’s doing as well as what he already did for your life.  It’s a risk that’s a win-win deal if you wholeheartedly render your life to Him.  Oh, you may lose your ‘friends’ and you will lose your desires for the things of the world, but it is an act of faith.  In the end, you will not lose out and you will gain eternal life.  Our joy was slowly edging back in.   Meanwhile, we prayed and trusted God while our shipment was on its way. Would it make it safely?  Would we find everything that was sent?

 

 

September 20, 2017

At 1:05 a.m. my mom’s power went out.  Raindrops were coming through the roof in several areas.  A tree branch was constantly banging against the window.  Not knowing it was a branch, we thought the storm was getting in.

At 4 a.m. we could feel and hear the winds intensifying.  They felt like they were at about 145 mph.  Outside, one could hear trees snapping, objects flying and banging against the street.  As scary as everything sounded, the storm hadn’t landed yet!  It would touch down between 4 and 7 a.m. and last until 11 at night.  The winds were now at about 185 mph with gusts up to 210 mph!  The hurricane was a category 5!  Outside, the sounds were deafening!  We continued sleeping on/off and praying for God’s protection.

Sensing a break in the storm at around 9 a.m. we carefully opened the front door.  The neighbor’s shed was nowhere to be found!  Metal roofs were blown away.  Entire roofs as well as doors, walls, and windows were gone off some structures.  We closed the door to our ‘line shack’ and waited as we turned on our small, compact solar-powered radio.  That radio would be our companion for the next three months.

At around noon, folks began to open their doors to assess their surroundings.  We were glad to see them.  No one around us was hurt, though so many roofs were gone.  Trees were knocked over or snapped in pieces.  Some were shredded down or stripped bare.  As we tuned in to our radio, we began to learn what had happened:  The remaining 800 cellphone towers were out of service, there would be no sign of a postal worker or any type of delivery man for two full weeks.  We had no water, no power, no cells, no landlines, no ATM service, no banks, no grocery stores, no pharmacies, no gas stations, there was nothing available for what seemed like an eternity.

We needed to know if our son and two grand-kids were alive.  On the second day after the storm, we were able to see him.  We were very glad.  We were also very glad to know we were alive and had survived.  Fortunately, before the storm, we had purchased some 24 lbs. of ice.  We had also filled soda bottles with drinking water.  There was food we had brought from our home the previous day as well as my mom’s stuff.  At least for the next few days, we would be somewhat alright.  God had spared us.  But how did our log cabin fare?  Did it survive the storm being located high in the mountains surrounded by trees on three sides?

We have worked for 26 years on it.  From laying a concrete foundation by hand to lugging with 150 lb. logs.  Would we be able to get up there?  With our son I was able to visit our cabin site.  The avenue to get there was closed on one side as light posts and phone posts alongside power lines and satellite cables littered the street.  Mangled trees were everywhere.  Missing roofs galore were everywhere we looked.  Entire homes were gone.

An interesting thing occurred as we were about ½ mile from home: As I was telling my son to check if my cousin had removed his solar panels, my son excitedly said, “Look Pa, the cabin’s still there!  I see all of it even the deck!”  I got teary-eyed.  Nineteen years earlier, right after hurricane Georges, as we drove near the same spot, we couldn’t bare to look to see how our cabin fared.  Our son told everyone in the car to close their eyes, & then exclaimed the same words, “Look, the cabin’s still there!”  That was good news.  We were so happy.  God had proved Himself faithful again!

This time around, we couldn’t access our road, it was completely covered with fallen trees.  We had to park far away and climb over a fence & walk the rest of the way.  The post carrying our power line had been snapped in two.  We had lost some roll roofing in our second-floor bedroom dormer and hundreds of gallons of water had gotten through.  Most of the windows had been shuttered.  The newer ones which took the brunt of the storm winds, were not-including our bedroom’s.  Water ran down to the other bedroom. We put down tarps to try to hold the water from causing more damages.

As we assessed our damages, we noticed our workshop and storage room structure, as well as our shed also lost their roofing materials.  We spoke to three-four neighbors all of which separately described the storm night as “if an atomic bomb had been dropped.”  One neighbor, upon hearing so many pop-crackle-snaps, kept looking at our home to see if the sounds heard were our logs flying away.  All our trees were snapped or burned. Everything looked hideous.  In the days to follow, my wife and grand-kids would also come along to help clean up.  Each time, we had to dump buckets of water from both rooms.  With no electricity and no running water, we had to do the best we could & not hang around too long.  We also couldn’t remove the shutters cause another hurricane had been announced as being on its way.

Life as we knew it had just taken a new twist; it would never be the same again for us or for the millions of residents on the island.  Everyone had been impacted and affected one way or another.  Stay tune for more adventures in the days ahead.

Lord, thank you for being our refuge during the darkest (literally) time of our lives.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

 

September 19, 2017

On this date we had to report to work even though forecasters had announced the arrival of a major hurricane.  At 5:15 a.m. we received an all-call stating we now had to work only half-a-day. I called the job to say we weren’t going in.  Early in the morning we packed our SUV and headed to my mom’s house.  After picking up the fridge & some ice with our son, and returning to our home to get more belongings, we headed to my mom’s place.

By noon the winds were picking up quite a bit.  In the evening, I asked my mom’s neighbor if he wanted help as he put steel pipes in his metal shed for protection.  He didn’t. He wasn’t sure the shed would survive.

We locked ourselves inside and braced for what might come.  Lots of prayers went up that day and night interceding and imploring God to turn the storm away.  That was not to be.  The wind howled all night creating a horrible and dreadful sound.  All night long, my wife and I slept on the living room sofa right under a window.  We looked (and felt) disfigured as we constantly sought ways to get comfortable yet stay below the window and out of danger.

Although the carport is 10’ wide and has ornamental concrete blocks (they’re open to allow breeze in), the rain pelted the Miami-style metal shutter windows like bullets slamming against them as if there were no walls or roof.

It isn’t easy by any means to laugh in the tough times, but I believe in trying to see the brighter side of things no matter how bleak they may be.  That would be tested in the days ahead.  After commending both residences, our neighbors, our pets, and ourselves to Him who has his way in the whirlwinds and in the storms, (Nahum 1:3b), we fell asleep after midnight.

In retrospect, I can equate that night’s storm experience to a blinding blizzard as someone cuddles before a fireplace in a small cabin somewhere out west in the middle of nowhere.

I love the stories of cowboys and line shacks- those small cabins built and situated out west in fields near the perimeters of grand ranches.  As workers ‘rode the line,’ should a storm come upon them suddenly, they sought shelter within small, humble one-room cabins.  Those cabins were usually stocked with necessities like matches, thin blankets, maybe a lantern and non-perishables of the time-period like beans and coffee.  These life-saving cabins sheltered workers from the tempest without.  They lit a fire, warmed their hands as they drank some coffee and enjoyed a hot meal.  Spending the night toasty-warm within while the winds howled, and snow and ice fell outside, saved many lives.  On this day, my wife and I were to take refuge from an impending storm in a ‘line shack’ and God was our life-line.

September 18, 2017

Forecasters predict a major hurricane will hit the island in a day or two, yet we’re to report to work as if nothing will happen.  During the night my wife tells me she’s afraid of staying put, and possibly getting trapped due to landslides. Since that means we have to pack and leave to my mom’s place, we decide we won’t go to work the next day.  We establish a plan; in the morning we’ll pack the vehicle with food, water, and clothing.  I’ll drop my off my wife and all our stuff at my mom’s house.  I’ll pick up our son and head to the job to borrow my wife’s small fridge.

We don’t always get a chance to prepare ahead of time for life’s storms.  Should we be granted preparation time for a natural disaster, by all means, go for it.  Be ready early with needed items for survival. However, God warns of tempests on the horizon that will test us, shake us, and mold us.  He wants us to live as if we were to be called ‘home’ at a moment’s notice.  Whether a blizzard, a tornado, floods, a hurricane, an earthquake, or any number of storms come, the most important reminder is to have our hearts and lives ready to meet our maker.

How’s your ‘pantry?’  Are you stocking away for life’s storms?  When the rushing waters of worry and concern flood your being, what will you do?  When raging waves and blustering winds send chills up your bones causing confusion, will you know where to hide?  When life’s worries trap you with lies and false accusations, will you have the Truth to cling to? Check your ‘pantry’ now!  Make sure to stock Truth, Refuge, Confidence, Encouragement, Love, Faith, Hope, Patience, and Strength in God in large supplies cause you’re going to need them!

 

Exactly a year ago today, hurricane Irma made landfall on this island.  Not much happened in our neighborhood; high winds, a few toppled trees, and some rain.  Sensing no danger, we spent most of the day on our covered porch.  What did happen, is that at around 9a.m., we lost power.  We waited one, two, and three days but none returned.  We were told that if we were lucky we’d have it reinstalled in about four months-in January!  We thought they were crazy!  They were!  It wouldn’t take four months.

Although we suffered no damage, the island lost half (800) of its cell phone towers.  Unbeknownst to us, the most powerful storm ever was to enter our lives.  We were a full two weeks from it.

How about you? Have you been left in the dark?  Are there any storms brewing in your life?  When dark clouds loom ahead, we like to cuddle up in a soft chair and read.  Maybe you like slipping into bed and getting under some warm blankets to escape it all, or just sleep through it.  These options sound great-especially if it’s snowing out and you’re in front of a fireplace.  But, some storms you can’t ‘ride out.’  Some storms are from within. Others are from without and are so long-lasting that you can’t just sleep through them.  You need to face them.  If they’re from within, only Jesus can calm them.  John 14:27  If they’re from without, you’ll need to cling to Him like clinging (for dear life) to a drifting board in raging waters. Luke 8:22-25

“Lord, hold my hand and calm the raging storms of my life.  Hold me close, squeeze me long, shelter me as troubles pass over me.  Help me to endure this pain.  Help me to come forth unscathed, shining, ready to face the next storm…” Psalm 91

Beginning in early March and running through April 2017, my wife went for some checkups.  Had some blood samples done.  Then a pap smear test.  Needed a biopsy, then another one.  Turns out she had cervical cancer.  We figured she’d undergo surgery in June during summer vacation, but her doctor said, “No way.”  In April, the day after her birthday, she underwent a delicate procedure.  Thankfully, all the cancer was removed!  We spent two months at home; she, resting, and me, taking care of her: getting her meds, her breakfast, her snacks, helping her to the restroom, etc.  It was a fulltime job.  I was exhausted and we were both ready for rest.

In July, we headed to see our girls & granddaughter in Florida, but the last thing we did was rest.  In the sweltering heat in their garage, I built a blanket chest for our youngest daughter.  Meanwhile, my wife helped our eldest get some rest by cooking, doing laundry, etc.  We also looked after my 80-year old mom who accompanied us on the trip.

Upon returning back home, we took our grandsons on some vacation outings before life returned back to normal: us to work as teachers and they to elementary school.  We had great times.  We were glad we did because undergoing surgery and winning a bout with cancer would be no match for the storms brewing ahead.

 

Life in Bushwick had its benefits.  For one, we walked down a hill to our church.  All the stores were nearby, as were my parents too.  Of course, the challenge was going up the hill, especially with a carriage and another child walking alongside us.  Winter was tough, but the exercise kept us young.  I had to carry the carriage with our youngest inside and our bags to the third floor, while my wife walked or carried the other two kids upstairs.

Since I worked for a fabric company, I brought home some thick, soft fabric, which my wife sewed into a very large pillowcase; large enough to hold three kids inside it!  We’d place the kids in there when they’d sleep and when at church.  I remember walking to church during a blizzard with our huge bundle.  Snow was falling everywhere, yet our three were toasty warm!  They looked so cute!

Do you consider yourself to be ‘over the hill;’ ‘all washed up;’ have ‘snow’ on your head’ from years of stress?  Marriage can be described as an uphill battle due to struggles, finances, and other issues.  Getting to the ‘top’ in life (or the hill), is not about being the strongest, smartest, or fastest; it’s about coming face-to-face with each step as we near it.  It requires perspective, vision, and a desire to tackle them one-by-one by both of you.  Are you ready to face the hills in your life? The race is not to the swift, nor (is) the battle to the strong…but time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11 b paraphrase).

When our youngest was due to be born, I rushed my wife to the hospital.  They took her straight in.  About a minute later, I saw another lady also being rushed in.  The lady at the counter asked me if she could help me.  I told her that I just wanted to know if my wife….    “Congratulations!” she said.  I told her there had to be a mistake, I only wanted to know if I should bring my wife her coat, this being December.  Again, she congratulated me on my child.  I explained I had just brought in my wife like a minute ago and that maybe she was confusing me with someone else, but she told me I was a proud dad and that I could go in to see my wife and child.  “That was incredibly fast,” I said. “That baby wanted out,” she fired.

Sometimes, life is like that; certain things happen very fast, while others seem to take forever.  It’s like raising a child; they’ll go from pampers to school age in a snap.  From there on, life can sometimes drag, especially the teenage years.  Those are the years where you pull out your hair and maybe lose a tooth or two.  Certainly, you may lose a few marbles while you wonder why time is at a standstill.  Look back at better times; maybe even picture your child in Pampers again! That would be funny!

Same thing with marriage which can last a lifetime.  Before you know it, a decade has passed (or two or three).  Make the best of it.  Hold on to great memories.  Create new ones, forget the bad ones.  Life is better with a friend or best friend; even more so when the best friend is your spouse.

Clump those moments in your fist and bring the fist to your heart.  Laugh with all your might at the fun things you’ve endured together, as well as all those moments that made you mad or made you cry.  They’ll soon be faded thoughts and moments never to return.  Finding laughter in difficult times is better for one’s health, than anger, ulcers, and loneliness.  The wisest man in the world told us there was a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4).  So do it.  We’re also advised  to “Rejoice in the Lord always…” (Philippians 4:4).  Look up verses on rejoice, and you’ll find bunches of them as well as reasons to do so.  Let’s pray. “Thank You Lord that we can rejoice in your salvation, (Psalms 13:5) Amen!

There was this one time when my wife had gone out and I had to change our ever-talking daughter (before she could speak). I wrapped the last pamper available on her but it wouldn’t stay. I picked her up and the disposable diaper went swoosh, right down! I immediately sought counsel. I turned to our two year old son and asked him if he thought we should improve the adhesive qualities of the ‘diaper.’ He agreed and I applied large pieces of masking tape from front to back on her waist. It worked! What a laugh my wife had when she came home!

But, that was nothing compared to wrapping a huge diaper around our third child. By then, I had additional support since I now had two kids counseling me. I then made a huge triangle and pinned it, but the baby slipped out through every side! I applied about five or six safety pins to keep that baby in wraps! Definitely, I was honing my woodworking skills back then without knowing it.

Seeking counsel can be a delight. We all get cornered by a situation where we’re at a loss for immediate escape or answers, and that’s where counsel comes in. Let’s pray:

‘Heavenly Father, look upon those couples or individuals, young at heart, that may be experiencing difficulty with their ‘youngins,’ be it in changing diapers, to seeking counsel for their daily situations. Be with them and enlighten them for the long haul. ‘Wrap’ your arms around them, as they seek your face and as they render their lives to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Proverbs 15:22 reads: Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed (Christian Standard Bible version)

I’m taking a break here from looking at our past to say that we just celebrated our 37^th wedding anniversary! We thank God for His grace and mercy upon us! Just like a large wagon wheel, having Jesus as the hub of our lives, His guidance, love, discipline, humor, patience, like spokes, has kept us together. The Holy Spirit has kept this wheel true in spite of difficulty, stress, responsibilities, and the bumps on the road. Hitch your wagon to Him for an unforgettable ride and blessed marriage.

Lord, before your presence is everyone who reads this blog. May you strengthen each married couple walking and working through this mystery of marriage as you have helped us. Guide those not yet married as they wait upon you and serve in the calling you’ve placed upon their lives. Thank you for establishing our marriage and giving us deep roots for added strength and stability. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!