Katrina and Myrtle

I don't even know where to begin. Above everything, there's nothing like a national disaster on the scale of Katrina to make one realize how pointless things are. Where do I start? How can I help? It seems as if no matter what I do or how much we can afford to give, it won't be enough. Somewhere, my dollar stops. And as small and insignificant as that makes me feel, so much more so does it make me realize how great a provider God is. Where my dollar stops, and where everyone else's goodwill ends, the Lord's provision is only a fraction into it. Wow. This storm brought our nation to its knees, quite literally -- imagine the power behind that storm, the power of the Creator. That is mindboggling.

My cousin and her husband lived in New Orleans and are still unaccounted for. I'm pretty sure they made it out before the storm hit, and I'm pretty sure they're probably already back helping, because they are both doctors. But nonetheless, if you think of it, please pray for them. I'm comfortable thinking they are just swamped with the task of cleaning up, helping others medically and emotionally, and piecing their lives together. And I'm positive they are safe. I'll be sure to report on their safety once we hear from them.

On a much, much lighter note, Walden, Max, and I went to Myrtle Beach this past weekend with Walden's mom, brother, and stepdad. We had a blast! It was such a different pace from the life we live on a daily basis...especially the timing, in the aftermath of Katrina. It's wild how life goes on despite how much life has been lost. The news last night told stories of evacuees coming to Knoxville for shelter, students enrolling in UT, abandoned pets even being housed at the local animal shelters. And the closing note was that UT will still play LSU in two weeks as scheduled. My brother-in-law and his wife came over last night and we were just talking about how, when September 11th happened, the world stopped, football, schools, everything was on hold. And here we are, in a situation where loss of life is comparable to what happened almost four years ago exactly, and woohoo! UT and LSU are still on. And that that was one of the more important thing for Tennesseeans to know. I guess since LSU is higher ranked than good ol' UT, life is suspended on a string until we can prove who really is the better team. Blech.

Wait a second...I was supposed to lighten things up, wasn't I? Well, on that note, here's a picture of Max (left) and my mother-in-law's best friend's grandson, who all joined us at the beach. His name is Boyce and he's seven months older than Max. Until I saw how much Boyce had grown, I never thought I'd say that Max was small! Notice they have matching hoodies...a birthday present for Max from Boyce. It has their initials on the front. Why is it my son is the cutest kid in the universe?