Keeping an Eye on the Sky...

...and on the weather channel.

It was, by far, not the best weekend for our friends along the east coast of Texas. Because I was away from home for the weekend, I wasn't able to keep track of Hurricane Ike, but I did hear and read some accounts, and my heart goes out to everyone, including those who left their homes and those who stayed behind. But not only did Ike wreak havoc and devastation on many parts of Texas, "he" left his mark along a path that left people in other states to deal with rain and flooding, terribly high winds, and loss of power. When I returned home yesterday, I checked the national radar and discovered Ike had made it all the way to the Great Lakes area. I heard Cincinatti and Columbus, Ohio were both without power, and included other areas of the state.

We were lucky here in Kansas. Our 10 inches of rain came before Ike reached land, causing flooding and taking lives. By Saturday morning, when Ike was moving on from Texas and we had been warned of high winds and more rain, I awoke to sunny skies and a beautiful autumn day. We were lucky, but so many others weren't.

For those in Texas who left their homes and belongings behind, I pray their return won't be as horrible as they may think it might be. I also pray this will be the last of the hurricanes to touch our country and all others for a long, long time.