As the sun begins to rise and shine in Houston and over Cypress, my heart is filled with gratitude. I’m so grateful to see the dawning of a new day. So grateful. The sun broke through the clouds yesterday, a few hours before sunset and when I saw it my heart leaped with joy. “You’re out!” I excitedly exclaimed and almost simultaneously, my husband shouts, “the sun is out Toya!” from upstairs. My response, “I know!” and ran outside to our back porch like a little kid. I faced the west, closed my eyes, lifted my hands as it beamed on me and warmed my skin. “Thank you Lord, thank you Jesus.” Worship. I stood there soaking it in. Soaking. Our two-year old was eager to go outside and I could hear he’d suspected I’d escaped so I went back in to retrieve him. Me with pink ankle socks on and he in a diaper ventured back out to our damp concrete porch faced west together and relished in the sun for a few minutes.
Later all three of us ended up in the front of our home. Neighbors were out and we greeted one another. It was like a regular afternoon filled with activity, a complete contrast to what it had been. We walked with our children as they ran up and down the middle of the street, something they were unable to do for several days during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas. Biker, jogger, skateboarder, dogs being walked, strollers, and wagons being pulled, my husband seated in a PVAMU portable chair in driveway surrounded by a circle of guys talking about the football season, the smell of meat on a grill a few houses down. Life. Our neighborhood came to life. The sun brought us all out. Amen.
We talked about the blessing of our neighborhood not flooding despite all the water which surrounded us on every side. Our conversations interrupted from time to time by several low flying military style helicopters. I’ve never seen them in person and they sound like no helicopter I’ve heard before. They cut through the air with such power and authority. I was reminded though were out on dry land, there are many very, very near to us who are not; our other neighbors. My heart. Pray.
A neighbor and I chatted about the tornadoes in our area. I remembered the darkness from a few days before. It was mid-morning on Sunday, I laid in the bed exhausted from Saturday and lack of sleep, my boys upstairs. Hubby had given me a moment to rest by keeping our little tot occupied. I was in and out of consciousness, virtually asleep. The room lost its daylight and became dark, noticeably dark. Then another startling emergency alert text with alarm blared from my phone. A regular sound at this point, “Tornado Warning in this area til 11:00 AM CDT. Take shelter now. Check local media. -NWS.” it read. I jumped up, ran to the bottom of the stairs and yelled to my husband to come down with our son to take shelter in the closet underneath our stairs once again. My neighbor shared her perspective with me as we conversed. That dark cloud passed over our row of houses to the left of hers. She saw it. She said she felt the drop in temperature. It became noticeably cooler and the skies darken. She called for her husband to come inside.
That Sunday night, I called a friend and shared how that darkness passed over us. And how it reminded me of what I read in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of Exodus about death passing over those Egyptian homes which had the blood of a lamb on the frame of its doors. I thank the Lord for His mercy, grace, covering, and my personal pass over. I thank Him for a Word that lives.
Those words came alive and for a moment it was as I was watching a movie and seeing each character facial expressions; from removal of their matted, unwashed hair from their pale faces, to the seeing of their gums of their teeth, through their outstretched smiles. I shared their embraced, their excitement of joy, their praise. I grabbed a fist full of their unleashed, relaxed energy. Each word took turns jumping from paper into my spirit. My spirit has been energized, refreshed, and renewed. My spirit is alive.
Thanks, Dr. Gilmore
Amen. Amen. And amen. It touches me to read your spirit has been “energized, refreshed, and renewed” by these words. That blesses my heart. Thank you and I thank God.
Beautiful!!
Thank you!
This was a great depiction of what Hurricane Harvey was to you. I have seen many stories and experiences of this natural disaster and it varied from praise and joy to utter hopelessness. As I watched the events unfold from VA, I had complete and total sympathy for the people of SE Texas, specifically Houston. I wish had the ability to come down and physically help people. I think donating money is important but putting a face on it is equally powerful. Dr. Gilmore, thank you for sharing your experience and I thank God that your neighborhood was spared from significant damage. Tell MG I said hello! Love ya!!
Yes, we are oh so very grateful…keep praying and I will continue to do the same.
Toya, what a wonderful read! Thank you for giving the world a glimpse of your Pass Over, in reading I felt like I was there with you. So very proud of you. Please add me to your emailing list.
Thank you for your encouraging words and will do!
Such a blessing Toya to let us in on the details of your experience throughout the hurricane. Emotions from pure joy, to fear to gratefulness were captured from such a real point of view. Thank you for sharing this and giving a reminder of God’s mercy and grace.
Thank you for your feedback, Natalie. It was quite an experience.