What else can happen??

Hannah posted on Facebook that this was "the week from Hell" for some of us Terrills.  It has been a week of events we could have lived without!

In retrospect, some of the events are more unsettling than others, some have a more lasting impact on our lives than others, and some might just be annoying when you examine them closely.  But put them all together, and it's just more than we really wanted to deal with!

For me it started on Friday when my mom had a little spell and had to be hospitalized for a few hours.  Harry was leaving that day for Boston, I had funeral for a good friend to attend, and of course, there's always school and other commitments!  I made arrangements to go out to my mom's to support Mom and Donna, and spent Saturday and Sunday there.  (Mom is doing fine - age can bring some little blips to our daily lives, and she pretty much takes them in stride.)

Monday I was busy teaching and managing my classes when a note came to report to the principal's office.  I thought maybe I'd made some huge error!  Instead, my principal said, "There's been a bomb explosion at the finish line.  You can use my office and my phone for as long as you need to."  Just then my phone rang - it was Harry!!  (Wanting me to contact Eliza as to where to meet him!)

In retrospect, I never had the time to "worry" about Harry since I heard from him right away.  But thinking back on what "might have been" has been nerve-wracking enough!  I heard from Eliza right away too, so I knew she and her family were okay, but the "what might have been" was at play here too.  It was good to visit with her that night and know that she was safely out of the city!

Harry got home safely, but promptly became "under the weather" with coughing and sore throat.  A planned night out Friday was cancelled, and we ended up sitting in front of the TV Friday night to watch the conclusion to the capture of the Boston suspect.  We were both feeling bad that Eliza's birthday had once again been co-opted by terrorist activity!

Then  I came home from Mom's today to encounter a sky full of smoke and flame!! 

The Monrovia brush fire is "close" to us - we are in its path anyway.  We weren't sure what we should do first.  We found out sources to tell us what was really going on, and we listened to the water-dropping planes go back and forth across our house.  We finally decided to be ready to leave - I started going through shelves and boxes and setting aside "the things money can't buy" to quote Esme!  Harry wanted to run our things down to his shop, but then we found out that the police wouldn't let us back in if we left.

So we sit here, waiting, with boxes packed, paintings leaning against walls with blankets to cushion their ride, and clothes and supplies for a few days at the ready.

As the ward Emergency Preparedness person, I write monthly newsletter articles about being prepared!!  It's easy to make the lists and give the instructions.  It is quite another thing to look at all your "stuff" and try to decide what should go with you!!

I am now truly committed to getting my "stuff" in order!  I want to be able to quickly know and get hold of just what is truly important - just what it is that "money can't buy!!'

And I hope next week is way better than this week!!  

(I should do another post of all the blessings of last week though, shouldn't I??)