Devastation

Here are a few pictures from an area fairly close to us.
We had three days of pounding rain and these poor people have lost almost everything. For some, not only did their basement flood, but
it seeped up into their homes, their cars, campers, boilers...all ruined. Many of these families are friends of ours and classmates to our children.
Just days before, we were together at a special gathering sharing laughs and great conversation.

It doesn't seem fair. Prayers just don't seem enough.

(Above)

The water came so quickly that it surprised these poor souls.  They were unable to

safely leave their homes without help. 

This pool belongs to a co-worker of  Neil's.  That fence is a six foot fence!

     Neil took this one at the top of the hill.  On the far right is the park where our kids like to play, it looked more like a river.  If you attempted to go down that hill, you would be up to your shoulders in water.

It is a blessing that everyone made it out safely, but devastating to observe such destruction. 

One of the teachers from the school stopped by tonight and mentioned a fund raiser to help the families from our school.  That is a start, I suppose. 

Miracles Happen

As I frantically scrubbed the floor this morning (I do this when I am stressed out) toiling over an important decision, something unbelievable happened!

Since elementary school, our oldest son has asked to attend a local private school. I am not sure where the idea came from since Neil and I hadn’t planned for our children to go to private school. We merely encourage our children to try their best in school and make it a priority of ours to give them all of the tools necessary to succeed. My guess is a teacher may have planted the seed. (I say this because on more than one occasion his teachers have mentioned in passing that he would be a great candidate for this particular school.) Ryan is entering high school in the fall and he asked if he could take the entrance exam and apply. We agreed that he could, but cautioned him that unless he received a scholarship or some significant financial aid to cover the tuition, he would not be able to go.  I deliberated with myself… What am I setting him up for? Is he mature enough to understand this? But then I thought, How many children do I know beg (and I mean beg!) to attend a specific school?

Wouldn’t you know it, he scored extremely well on the exam. In fact they (school) called him and encouraged him to apply! Oy! All of us were incredibly proud, as well as hopeful that he may have earned a significant scholarship and would have the opportunity to attend. As it turned out, Ryan was awarded an honorable merit scholarship and our family was also given financial aid that we are appreciative. Yet, even with the help, being a large family on one income isn’t conducive to a private school education.

Alas as we toured the school and spoke with students, parents, and faculty, I inadvertently fell in love. I understand the endorsement that Ryan’s teachers offered him, and I completely understand why Ryan would want to be a part of this culture. It is truly amazing!

So this morning I was lamenting and praying about this difficult choice before us. In all honesty, I was about to just give up when something caught my ear on the radio. It was an enthusiastic Jesuit priest discussing
St. Ignatius. My sunken heart skipped a beat. The school that Ryan wishes to attend is a Jesuit school and the scholarship that he earned was named after St. Ignatius of Loyola the very same person that was now being discussed! Needless to say, I got my answer. There has to be another door that I haven't opened yet and I am determined to find it.