Florida

There are moments in time that stick with you for years, or maybe forever. Good moments like having your children, getting married, or winning a big game can carry on in stories and memories for your entire life. Unfortunately, horrible things, like the death of a loved one, or on a grander scale 9/11, can also stay with you forever.

My last post ended on a high note with my husband and me on a getaway to Florida. More specifically, Ft. Myers, Florida. We enjoyed the beauty of Florida and took in every sight and sound we could. As the end of our trip was approaching, we were getting texts from worried friends and ended up spending quite a lot of time watching the news because a hurricane was headed our way. It was still named, TD9 at the time.

When we golfed Saturday morning, the workers were talking about how silly it was the Costco gas pumps were already full and people were waiting for a long time for gas. At Publix, there were long lines and “essentials” were getting thin. When we were watching college football in the afternoon, many games were interrupted by hurricane updates. Questions started coming…where is this going to hit? Is it going to be a big one? Should we leave early?

Sunday rolled around with news that this hurricane, now named Ian, was gaining speed and strength and that a west coast landfall was imminent. The forecasters weren’t sure of the exact location of the hit, but they were thinking it could be a really big and horrible storm. We went out to watch Sunday football at a restaurant in Bonita Springs that my cousin and her family love. We got the standard Florida food that we don’t get in Indiana. Homemade clam chowder, coconut shrimp, and of course my husband got his third round of grouper. We talked to other midwestern folks at the bar. They too were heading home the next day. We all had the feeling that we were getting out just in time. We just had no idea how true that would be.

My husband and I got back to my in-law’s house just in time to see one of the most beautiful sunsets. They live on the 17th hole of a golf course, so we went out for a walk and took pictures. It was very humid. It was also stunningly beautiful. I remember saying that this looked like the calm before the storm.

We woke up Monday morning to get their house “hurricane ready”. They live pretty far away from the water, but the weather reports just kept getting worse. It looked like it may hit a little north of them, but we still wanted to be prepared. We brought in all of the furniture from the lanai and put down the hurricane shutters. Being from Indiana, this was a new experience, one I could only liken to putting down our umbrellas and bringing in our chair cushions from the deck when a storm is coming.

We got to the Ft. Myers airport just fine and left hot, sunny Florida.

We were safely back in Indiana, but I couldn’t get enough news from Florida. As Wednesday approached, Ian took a little turn south and it looked like Ft. Myers would be a direct hit. And a direct hit it was. I couldn’t believe my eyes when footage came across my phone or the television as the storm raged on and water filled the streets where we walked just a few days earlier.

Ian seemed to rage and spin right on the place that is home to so many, and a second home to so many more. The connections we have with friends and family in the Ft. Myers area are many. Friends who recently got their dream sailboat were praying she would make it through the storm. My in-laws bought their home away from home just a few months ago. Other friends whose house is their utter happy place. My uncle staying put in Tampa in the condo he loves. Many high school, and later-in-life friends, live permanently in Florida. Friends who have visited the same place for over 20 years…and the list goes on and on. I was thinking of them all and praying for the safety of so many friends, and strangers alike.

Waking up Thursday to see the aftermath still stuns me. I couldn’t believe the devastation. I still can’t believe the devastation. Was the restaurant we ate at on Friday just gone? What happened to our sweet waitresses? What happened to the locals that were eating shrimp beside us just days before? Was the store we loved at Spring Break, where I just sent our friends a selfie from, still standing? As Ian went up the coast, and the full extent of the damage was revealed, I could not take in the fact that these places were gone. Gone. People lost everything, even some lost their lives. Ian packed a horrifying punch that is going to be felt for years.

Ft. Myers’ Facebook pages were set up to try to disseminate information. Anyone left was trying to help fill in the missing pieces for those who evacuated. Pictures and videos looked like they were from a bombed area. The power of the storm is almost inconceivable. Ian’s aftermath is horrifying to thousands of people, and their battle is not close to the end.

I do not claim Ft. Myers or the surrounding area as my home, or even my home away from home. My husband and I don’t own property there and we’ve only been there a handful of times. But I do know that we love Florida and we love a lot of people who love Florida. Our hearts are full and heavy for every person affected by this hurricane. I’ve seen story after story of people who’ve lost everything saying they are ready to get to work and rebuild their dreams. It’s an amazing sight to behold. Rising out of the ashes of a natural disaster are everyday people who love each other and are helping their neighbors in their greatest time of need. People from all over are donating items to help Floridians get back on their feet. Tragedy brings the best out of many people.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Florida. People I’ve never met and people I know and love. Miracles both big and small come out of the ashes of tragedy. Like my husband’s aunt who found her precious and priceless seashell under the couch in their flooded and ruined home. That little miracle helped give her some hope. I pray for miracles for every single person facing starting over or a cleanup they don’t feel equipped for. I pray for those who are still lost to be found and for comfort to rain down on those aching hearts whose lives will never be the same.

Our timing of being in Ft. Myers allowed me to see a before and after very up close and personal. It’s a reminder to take every moment we get to live and love well. To treat people better than they deserve and always look for the bright side of life. Tragedies can happen in the blink of an eye and life can be almost unrecognizable from one day to the next, so I hope we all live in a way that we don’t take our days for granted.