Shileen's Blog

What a long day. Interview/meeting went very well this morning. We sat and chatted for 2 hours. I'm pretty sure she's gonna hire me, but she wants to talk to her business coach next week first. I think it's going to be a fun job, but, it's just not enough hours yet. So now I'm back to hunting for a part time job.
After the meeting I went over to the Cannons(flood victims) to see how I could help. It was worse than I thought it would be. You walk in and it's just mud. Everywhere. They're in the process of hauling out anything that could possibly be salvaged. But there's not much. They lost everything you can think of, computers, phones, pictures, books, etc.. Some stuff is being found and may be able to be saved. I worked all afternoon on rescuing pictures from broken and muddy frames, and drying them out. Also worked on trying to salvage some of Karey's comic book collection. They are all spread out in my garage drying. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's something that's left, when not much else is. At one point as I was leaving, their daughter Sharayah came running out of the house excited that she found a favorite pair of Converse in the mud. I took them and told her I would handwash them myself and get them back in shape. Poor kid was crying just minutes earlier because she had to load up her precious books that she loves so much, that were now ruined. She thinks there's nothing left of her possessions. I can't even imagine what they are dealing with emotionally. I mean, yes, as Christians we shouldn't be tied to our earthly belongings, but as a parent, who doesn't want to be surrounded, as we get older, by things of our past. Heirloom furniture, pictures of our heritage, our relatives, our kids baby pictures..                  
It's just devastating.
It has got me to thinking about making what they call a 5 minute box. If you had less than 5 minutes to get out of the house in an emergency, everything vital is in it. I guess you would have copies of your important documents, your passports, birth certificates, a selection of baby photos, or copies at least. Things you just can't imagine losing. Irreplaceables. That would be a hard box to make. Other than your family, which obviously wouldn't fit, what would you label as "can't live without" Other than pictures and passports and birth records, I guess everything else is pretty easily replaceable. My pictures on my harddrive would be lost. (I guess I need to make a monthly back up and stick it in the "box".) I suppose I would just lose all the countless photo albums and photo books, cause there's no way to fit them.  But I can replace the computer, my camera, my clothes, the furniture. I'm thinking  this box would also have to be fireproof and waterproof. Ok, now I'm just thinking out loud. Sorry.
I would miss my chair. And my huge globe, and my sword, and my large metal boat, and airplane. But I could walk away. Can't take them with you when you die anyway.
Ok, well now that I've totally uplifted your spirits, I'm gonna let you go.  I have alot of reading to do about the travel world because my soon to be boss has sent me a bazillion links on articles I should read.
GN