A parent's worst nightmare

My heart has been very heavy this past week. As many people know, Texas has been experiencing crazy amounts of rain. So much that parts of the Texas Hill Country are being washed away. This is one of the most beautiful and magical parts of Texas. A lot of people go there for vacations, and get aways, weddings and family trips.

This past weekend, there was so much flooding that homes are being swept away. One particular house, along the Blanco River, was completely swept off the stilts and floated away. The three families in this home, The McCombs, The Charbas, and The Careys, were carried away in the house down the river. Like the Wizard of Oz, on steroids....and a parent's worst nightmare.

Yesterday, after watching this video of Jonathan McComb's father on CNN, I sat on my couch and just cried. My heart broke in a million pieces for a father - grateful his son is alive, for a husband and father, recovering in the hospital - mourning his missing wife and children. I thought about my children. What I would do if I had been Laura McComb in that house with two small kids. The fear she must have felt, but the calm she had to keep to make sure her children felt safe and protected with her. If it was me, I would never let them go...and know I may lose my life to save theirs.

How do we protect our children regarding things we have absolutley no control over? How do we not live in fear, in order to experience the world and it's wonder, but keep our children safe? It's a hard balance and one I don't have an answer to...I wish I did.

I DO know that fear cannot rule our lives. That we must let go of fear in order to live fully. I

know we must honor each day we get with our families, our children, our friends. The world is crazy and nothing is guarenteed. Fear cannot rule the day. Only LOVE. Only KINDNESS. Only a passion that ignites the world to be better, fuller, happier people.

There is no sense in living in fear. But it is hard to do that, and I have to remind myself at least once a day to be fearless. That doesn't mean being stupid or wreckless. It means to not let the fear dictate your life, your love, and your experience.

I didn't know the families who are struggling with loss in Wimberly. I know some of their friends, and I am heartbroken when I see their pain and sadness. I feel it too. I pray for them daily, and try to remember to love my family fiercely everyday.

I know it will take some time...as the wound is still fresh for those who have lost dear ones to the floods the past two weeks. But I hope we don't let fear become the ruler of this experience. That instead, we let hope, and love, and compassion be the lasting memory, and the memory we get to hold of these families lost. For Jonathan McComb. And his family. And their friends. The memories and the love are what matter most.

If you want to do something directly, please go to GoFundMe and donate to the rescue fund for the McCombs, the Careys, and the Charbas. Or you can donate to My Neighbors Keeper in Wimberly, Texas. They are directly involved on a local level for relief efforts there. Our church, First Uniterian Universalist in Dallas, has made a direct donation via the Sunday offering. This is where our money has personally gone.

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#nofear #lovemore #wimberley #texasfloods #family #parentslove #protect