Heartache Close to Our Family's Heart - Time Out #483

Today, once again, we are recognizing and remembering for the 83rd year, the day when the Japanese  bombed our Hawaiian Islands' Pearl Harbor. Shortly after the surprise attack on American soil, our President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his historic speech to a joint-session of our Congress.  He said December 7 is a "date that will live in infamy", and our U.S. Congress immediately declared war on the invader, Japan. 

     So, today's topic will be about 2 different natural villains, with innocent-sounding names, Helene and Milton. Remember, faithful readers in Our Town and far beyond, those were the back-to-back Gulf of Mexico hurricanes that wrecked havoc in our southeast U.S. just a few months back. I am sure most Americans followed these natural disasters via various media sources. My bride, Lady Deborah and I, were no different in that regard, too. However, our attention was even more focused than many people because one of my nephews (my older brother's oldest son and wife), Mark, and his spouse, Martha, own a home in Hudson, FL.  Their one-story traditional Florida structure was constructed in 1978, and is located within sight of the Gulf.

     Here's how their recent saga unfolded.  

     Martha is an high-level career nurse, meaning she has been employed in supervisory nursing roles for many years. Her managing experience and expert nursing skills have earned her much respect and demand for her expertise. Her most recent job opportunity took Mark and her to southwestern Washington, where the hard-working couple have temporarily lived for over a year.  While they have been living thousands of miles  away from Hudson, FL, their daughter, Alec, has been occupying her parents' home, along with her young twin children. All seemed to be working well, until Mother Nature brought the recent dual hurricanes to hit the Florida area, and leave a trail of destruction across the land.  

         All Martha and Mark could do was worry about their young family in Florida. Remember, the parents/grandparents were temporarily living all the way across Our Country, as the hurricanes swept across their Florida home, bringing violent winds and storm water virtually everywhere, After the hurricane had past, the couple was relieved to find out their daughter and her children were not injured. Martha took a leave of absence from her Washington nursing job, and she and Mark quickly flew to Florida to put their eyes on the damage to their home's neighborhood. Ms. Debbie and I followed their situation closely, via telephone calls and text messages. Others in our tight-knit family also stayed routinely connected to Martha and Mark. 

     The most up-to-date information is the home was not declared a total loss. With FEMA and their private property insurance company's assistance and money, their home is slowly being rebuilt. This entire process has involved many human emotions. Fortunately, it appears there is an positive end in sight.  

     Fellow Our Town partners, we have tornados, other places constantly worry about earthquakes, and many regions of Our Country experience extensive fires and horrible floods. Along with hurricanes, Mother Nature has many ways to be extremely violent and destructive. As people, we try our best to keep out of Her negative path if possible!