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Thursday, May 21, 2020

But for the Grace of God, Go I

I suppose by now most of you have heard of the dams breaking and the flooding in Midland and Sanford Michigan.  Please keep those folks in your prayers.  All four of my sons were born there, we had our first home there and started out life there.  In 1986 we went through a one-hundred year flood while living there.  I remember that it was such a stressful time.  I was heavily pregnant with my son Jamie and I remember the hospital parking lot at the delivery room being flooded and a guy in a row boat paddling past.   I also remember feeling all alone, as though the rest of the world was out enjoying themselves, not even giving our sufferings a second thought.  So my heart goes out to all that lost homes or have just lost hope. 
 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

23 comments:

  1. nothing on our news down here, but I searched on Google. Disaster so massive, may you and yours stay safe right now.

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    1. Thank you, Jean. Having lived through one major flood, we made sure never to live too close to a river or a dam again. One of the reasons we live where we do is because weatherwise it's one of the safest places to be, if you don't count the cold.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  2. Such a devastating situation.....we have flooding here in our area of Virginia also. It's not the same extent as Michigan, but it's a mess here too. We've had a full week of heavy rain and more called for today. I will rejoice to see the sun finally come out this weekend. Glad to hear you are safe where you are.

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    1. I hope it will be soon for you! I have a friend that lives just over your border in NC and it seems like it has rained unceasingly there, makes me appreciate the beautiful sunny days all the more.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. Oh my! I saw that in the news. I was wondering if it was near you, luckily not now. But your whole past! Prayers, hugs, Andrea

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    1. They are appreciated, Andrea. It just broke my heart when I read one man said that he had lost his job last month because of covid-19, now he lost his home, he's wondering when the meteor is going to hit. Such sad times for so many. Speaking of floods, you being from PA probably heard of the JOhnstown flood? My grandpa A was living there when that happened. Guess our family has a long history of floods!

      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. Very interesting! I have watched (on the history channel) and have bought the dvd's of "The Men Who Built America" and it covers the Johnstown flood and what really caused it. Of course the town is built in quite a valley, and has flooded less severely many times since...but that flood was the largest catastrophe in the world at the time and maybe still (can't remember). All because of the Henry Clay Frick and the tycoon's club modifying the dam. And the people had so many false warnings of the dam at that time, that the person ignored the dispatch warning...etc etc...amazing. I hope your grandpa survived...it's hard to believe anyone survived. hugs, Andrea

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    3. He was just a baby when it happened. Another case of the dam owners being negligent. You'd think such an important infrastructure as a dam would be owned by the government. The one that broke in Sanford was privately owned up until 2018 when Michigan took it over for negligence. Guess they didn't do any better than the private owners. So much tax money spent on foolishness and the important things left to crumble.

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    4. A privately owned dam? I’ve never heard of that and it sounds like a terrible idea. It does sound like poor maintenance contributed to this awfulness. It’s very sad. It does seem like so much big money gets spent with nothing to show for it.

      Back it 1986, I was a young mom, my children were 2,4 and 5 and my Marine husband was gone more than he was home.

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    5. I think a good amount of dams are privately owned Rhonda. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing? Sometimes you have to wonder, don't you? While not in the same situation as you (bless your husband for his service to our country) my husband traveled for a living too. Sure made me grow up fast! Please thank your husband for his service for me, I haven't forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  4. Dear Jane,

    I just heard about the flooding yesterday, and was praying that you weren't anywhere near there! I will keep all those affected in my prayers. Thank you for letting us know that you are all right! Such a scary situation.

    xx Jen in NS

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    1. Our little areas of the world sure have been through some rough times lately, haven't they Jen? I live well away from any streams, rivers or dams and far enough from Lake Huron that high waters don't have much effect on us, except for a soggy back yard. Feel a little guilty that we've been enjoying working outside in the sun the last few days, while quite a few people that we personally know, Ran having worked in Midland for over 20 years, are suffering so. I'm sure they will appreciate your prayers. May God grant them serenity!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  5. It is so sad and heartbreaking especially in the midst of everything else going on. Our heartfelt prayers are with everyone.

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    1. Thank you Sharon. I'm sure they will be appreciated.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  6. So very sad. Will keep them in my prayers.
    Love the verse from Isaiah. So very fitting now.
    Nothing on the scale of Michigan, but we are having some major flooding on the New river. Thankfully the sun will come out tomorrow...

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    1. There's always a verse in the Bible to give comfort, Kathy. Hope your flooding goes away soon. Flooding and Spring seems to go together, sadly. Thanks for the prayers!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  7. I hadn't heard about the flooding until reading your post today. I am keeping Michigan's people in my prayers.

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    1. Hi Mary! I don't have a TV or cable, but I thought a flood caused by two dams failing would make national news. Virtually wiped out the town of Midland, even the major highway is wiped out. One of the strangest things that happened was there was a huge manmade lake (Wixom Lake) that was washed completely away. Thank you for your prayers!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  8. Hi Jane, I did see that on the Australian news the other night. Thank you for the reminder to pray for those affected. Lovely verse you shared from the book of Isaiah. I understand what you mean when you said back in 1986 you felt all alone as if the world was not giving a second thought to your sufferings. That's normal and natural to feel like that during a time of disaster. During the fires that spread across parts of Australia a few months back (we had to evacuate twice last year due to bush fires), I was amazed and touched to see how affected people were in other parts of the world by what was going on here. I saw on the news people in Britain being interviewed who were in tears about what was happening here across the other side of the globe. And I know that many people in the United States and in other countries donated to the bush fire relief funds.
    Also here in Australia there is controversy over Paradise Dam, which according to some reports was not built as it should have been and they released massive amounts of water some months back to ensure the safety of people living in the down stream path. They reduced the dam's water holding capacity to under 50% This also broke many people's hearts because we are living through a long drought and seeing that water go was very hard especially for our farmers who rely on water allocations from that Dam. I do remember though back during the 2013 floods here in Queensland the authorities were in a panic about the dam wall not holding and the destruction that would occur if the dam wall went. I remember trying to calculate if our home was in the path of that or not. We do seem to be living in perilous times.

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    1. Hi Sherri! I remember praying for you all during your fires. Was it only a few months back? Goodness! With all the craziness going on it seems like it was ages ago! Dams are dangerous things. Just a few month ago I read an article about the 50 worst dams in the US. Fifty that are the worst! The dams that broke were on the list. What shocks me most of all is that they are privately owned. I wonder if that is true for your country? Doesn't it always seem that it is either a drought or flood season? We are indeed living perilous times.

      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. Some of our farmers have very big dams, and yes there was one in February this year that had a hole in the dam wall at Talgai in Queensland. It was a 430 megalitre irrigation dam and there was an emergency warning issued and several properties evacuated. However I think the water spilled out more slowly then was expected and dispersed largely across fields.

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  9. I was so very sorry to read your post Jane. The floods have since been mentioned on the news in the U.K. I have been praying for those affected, and hope that there have been relief efforts to help them. Damns here are the property of United Utilities, our water company. I have not been able to find any in private ownership, but many are not in an excellent state of repair and could be breached if more care is not taken of them.
    Lesley

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    1. That seems a much more practical system, Leslie. Of all the things government spends money on, you'd think dams would be a priority. The spend so much of our tax payer money on foolishness, if I think about it for any amount of time it would make me angry. But not to get off on a rant. Ha! Thank you for the prayers, they will be needed. Just read that Northwood Institute (a college that my son graduated from) is completely gone. Just such a sad time for so many.

      Hugs
      Jane

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