Flood in West Virginia

The first day of the flood, there was nothing to do but watch water rush where it wanted and think of that Cash song, "How high's the water, Mama?"

The second day, the whole neighborhood, up here in the highlands (where only basements were flooded), were out and about. Everyone worried about what was going on from Hardees through the rest of town which was under water. All we had was an ocean out back and a river in front. But most of it was not coming in our homes.

We waited, took care of each other, shared what we had, and visited. I wondered why we couldn't do this when it was not an emergency.

Neighbor, Pat Bell, scored some hamburger and fired up his grill. A little girl named Emily entertained us with her ukulele, while her little brother, Fox, kept us up on the news (I kid you not). A young teen named Maggie helped rescue puppies that were covered in oily water.

At night, we got stars instead of streetlights.

In between things, I read, because books are my anti-stress medication. I was reading The Mystery of Grace by Charles De Lint:

"Not only do we all have magic, it's all around us as well. We just don't pay attention to it. Every time we make something out of nothing, that's an act of magic. It doesn't matter if it's a painting or a garden, or an abuelo telling his grandchildren some tall tale. Every time we fix something that's broken....that's an act of magic." ...Charles De Lint.