Panic T - 11

Hey, silly, do not panic.  Think how God cares even for the flowers! 

Last evening was a neighborhood gathering of folks we have known for from just a few months to 20+ years.  Three of the households present moved in between August 1992 and April 1993.  Two households were empty nesters (of which we were one) and one had two young sons.  Our son was away at TCU in the second semester of his second year.  We were tired of running two cars 70+ miles each day to our jobs in Springfield.  We relocated in February, 1993.  Jack and Ann relocated from Maryland to be near a daughter to help with a small child.  Brian and Jane were moving to a new home with the two small sons.

Twenty one years has brought a lot of changes to the three original households.  The small child that needed extra care from grandparents due to a heart defect is fully healed and living a normal life.  The 'boys' of Brian and Jane are grown men.  One is in the film industry in California.  The other has just returned from a third rotation into the Middle East war zones.  That son has made Brian and Jane proud grandparents of a precious little girl.  Our son graduated TCU and UT, Denton, with a masters in industrial psychology, a marriage, three grandsons and a divorce.  Twenty one years sees a lot of change for all of us.

All the other homes on the block have changed hands as least once and some, numerous times.  The house next door to the east we calculated has had 18 different residents in the 20 years since it was built.  The last owners have live there seven years and vow to leave in a hearse.  The day we moved in on February 18, 1993, Charlie our grey striped cat ran under the subfloor of that house.  There were no walls, only foundation and subfloor.  We were agile enough to crawl under that house and retrieve Charlie.  Within just a few days Charlie bolted out an open door never to be seen again we feared.  Next door neighbors on the other side helped us look for him to no avail.  Those neighbors moved away after about 10 years.

Our house has protected us from snow storms.  One had snow drifted up over 3 feet against our garage doors.  We did not make it to work that day.  Another storm left snow knee deep in the street.  That was after Gene had bought the Jeep.  We made it to work that day.  Us and about 12 other people.  We all went back home.  Gene loved all the 4 wheel driving in the snow.  Hail storms, ice storms and tornadoes have assailed this home.  And we have remained safe.  And now in 11 days we will leave it to protect someone else.

And the panic is not over leaving the home.  It is that my back is behaving badly today.  Heating pads, Advil and rest between packing each box is making the progress be slow.  But it will get done.  I just have to sit in a chair while sorting, packing and labeling.  No need to panic as things always work out somehow in this house.  Just like the day Son returned from TCU for summer break in 1993.  Within an hour of Son's arrival from out of nowhere Charlie the striped cat walked into the garage and meowed to be let in.  Son said Charley had been waiting for him to come home.  Guess there really is no need to panic on day t - 11.