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I have to admit, I was very proud of myself..not for anything I did, as many more did the same and a lot more. I was just one of many..It's what we do..West takes care of their own. Which is why the ones that lost their lives were local volunteer fire fighters. When I went to the Rest West Haven last night I had a first rush of horror..it looked like pictures you see on TV of Iraq, or some country that has been bombed..The second thing I had to do was mentally slap the crap out of myself..can't lose it..can't lose it..Can't be of any good to anyone, if you lose it..so I sucked it up and got to work.Joining in with many other people to help get the residents out, find wheel chairs, find walkers, help them find files on patients.Suck it up suck it up suck it up..There will be time to cry later. I comforted as many as I could, mentally making notes of residents and their condition so I could tell their families. Knowing that Joe's son was out of the country and was probably going nuts cause he couldn't find anything out about his dad.
But they were safe they were in homes, outside of West, in Hospitals, other Nursing Homes.
This is what is in my head and heart this morning. Take a little trip into the your future...You're say 75-80 years old...you have lived in the same house for all of your married adult life. Down the street or across town from your family. You can't take care of yourself anymore. So you box up as many personal things from your 2-3 bedroom home as you can and your kids take what they want and they sell the rest. You move into the local nursing home..your new home, with your new room which is now filled with your most precious belongings..pictures of your spouse, all your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren. Pictures of you and your parents..your wall covered with all the people you love and have been in your life for all of it. Your rosary, your family Bible, the little baubles that your kids made for you when they were little, little plaques with your grandchildren's foot and hand prints, your books, your purse, your wallet, everything you love .....and in the blink of an eye...it's gone. It's ripped and torn, soaked with water and debris, spotted with blood..your at the end of your 'golden years' and you have lost every thing..not once but twice..
That's when I lost it.. I'll suck it up again when I need to ..but right now? My heart aches for all of the residents of West Rest Haven. I hurt for all the people that lost their homes ...It's wrong in so many ways..but I can't tell you how much I grieve for their losses.
Dear Goddess, please bless the family's in West.
anyone that would like to donate money to the city of West can do so at the Point West Bank and Trust...tell them Jackie sent you. 1-254-826-533
I have to admit, I was very proud of myself..not for anything I did, as many more did the same and a lot more. I was just one of many..It's what we do..West takes care of their own. Which is why the ones that lost their lives were local volunteer fire fighters. When I went to the Rest West Haven last night I had a first rush of horror..it looked like pictures you see on TV of Iraq, or some country that has been bombed..The second thing I had to do was mentally slap the crap out of myself..can't lose it..can't lose it..Can't be of any good to anyone, if you lose it..so I sucked it up and got to work.Joining in with many other people to help get the residents out, find wheel chairs, find walkers, help them find files on patients.Suck it up suck it up suck it up..There will be time to cry later. I comforted as many as I could, mentally making notes of residents and their condition so I could tell their families. Knowing that Joe's son was out of the country and was probably going nuts cause he couldn't find anything out about his dad.
But they were safe they were in homes, outside of West, in Hospitals, other Nursing Homes.
This is what is in my head and heart this morning. Take a little trip into the your future...You're say 75-80 years old...you have lived in the same house for all of your married adult life. Down the street or across town from your family. You can't take care of yourself anymore. So you box up as many personal things from your 2-3 bedroom home as you can and your kids take what they want and they sell the rest. You move into the local nursing home..your new home, with your new room which is now filled with your most precious belongings..pictures of your spouse, all your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren. Pictures of you and your parents..your wall covered with all the people you love and have been in your life for all of it. Your rosary, your family Bible, the little baubles that your kids made for you when they were little, little plaques with your grandchildren's foot and hand prints, your books, your purse, your wallet, everything you love .....and in the blink of an eye...it's gone. It's ripped and torn, soaked with water and debris, spotted with blood..your at the end of your 'golden years' and you have lost every thing..not once but twice..
That's when I lost it.. I'll suck it up again when I need to ..but right now? My heart aches for all of the residents of West Rest Haven. I hurt for all the people that lost their homes ...It's wrong in so many ways..but I can't tell you how much I grieve for their losses.
Dear Goddess, please bless the family's in West.
anyone that would like to donate money to the city of West can do so at the Point West Bank and Trust...tell them Jackie sent you. 1-254-826-533
13 comments:
Sounds like Hurricane Ivan, almost everyone got flooded or lost the roof or both. Or Hurricane Michelle for me, a wave came through my apartment and I lost almost everything I owned, including my life.
Thank you for this post. It not only brought tears to my eyes, it put everything in perspective for me.
A beautiful post. This morning, BF & I were watching the news and I told him about your post. We both had a chuckle over your "little ass hole, North Korean" comment. I think we all needed that tad bit of humor this morning, so we could move on with the day. Thank you for this post...it brings even more understanding of the loss these elderly people feel. xoxox
My heart is breaking for all of you!!
Sending you a great big hug...
...stay strong.
I can imagine what it is like to lose everything like you relate. I was in that situation once... and I found I didn't loose the most important thing... the love of real, true friends and family.
I am almost to that point; ready to box up everything I haven't given away or sold and move to a condo - not a rest home or nursing home (thank the Powers that Be). But when you describe them, and what they have saved only to lose it (again) it makes me cry (as we all should.) I am glad that they have people like you to turn to, especially when their families are out of town. Bless you and the others who have helped.
Thank you for writing this lovely post.
thank you all for your kind words..and don't forget to glance over to the right and see how the town of west is keep on a keeping on.
Well I am proud of you, having just read about your heroic actions on Debra's blog. The world needs more gals like you.
Lovely post and my heart breaks for the dear people who lost the tangible reminders of happy times, and also for the brave responders who lost their lives. You should be proud, of your community and yourself Jackie.
glad to see you are well, and glad you had presence of mind to comfort the foresaken. it's going to be a process...
--unokhan
you bet I will
When I think about how much comfort my dad derived from his photographs in the last months of his life ... well ... it just makes me teary to think of losing that. I hope they re-build West Rest Haven so you can return to your theme parties that gave those people so much joy.
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