Sit and Wait

  At dawn,  I sat watching the sunrise.  The stillness of the morn allowed me to do a good bit of pondering.  I have been on or near the Bayou my entire life.  As long as I can remember, the family has fished these waters.  The Bay and Bayou provided seafood which combined with fruit and vegetables from the old farm gave us sustenance. Although life was hard, it was good.  By some folks' measure we were dirt poor but we never wanted for anything and were blissfully happy with what we had.  I am still that way.  Blissfully happy with where I am at, doing what I am doing.  Sometimes, I feel that the Bayou has provided me with more than most folks could ever want.  

  As I sat absorbing the beauty around me, another thought crossed the mind.  How quickly this could all change.  As it did with Hurricane Katrina, the weather could pound us with Hurricane Irma.  The serenity which surrounded me this morning could again possibly become the wretched turmoil that battered the Little Bayou House twelve years ago.  Hurricane Irma is not one to take lightly.  This one bothers me...a lot.  

  That said, I pray for those in the path of this evil entity.  I pray that the storm weakens over the next few hours.  I pray that the cold front inching closer to us will push the storm enough that landfall is minimal.  I pray for strength.  

  At the moment, there is nothing to do but watch and wonder.  There is a gnawing feeling in the gut that won't leave.  The could've, would've, should'ves are all worming their way around in the brain.  Instead, we sit and wait.  We wait for a definite or at least a semi-definite track.  If Irma makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico, the waiting game will suddenly become a frenetic pace of storm preparations. For now, however, we wait and ponder.  The Bayou has been good to me but, at times, life is hard.  Sometimes it throws things at you that try you to the core. I will stick with my tried and true method of preparing for the worst and praying for the best.  That is about all we can do in anything.