I would like to thank everyone for the good wishes for my Birthday last week. I am now 29 again! Wish my Levis were still a size 29!!! Maybe if I keep walking they will be! I am so blessed to have my sweet adoring husband and a wonderful loving family and many life long friends. Thank you all for your love and support.
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| My first birthday. Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jimmy in the background. |
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| Me and my brothers, Steve, Keith and Greg |
Today is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Momma. You are the strongest most loving person I have ever known and I owe everything to you. You are loved by many, many people and all that love is very well deserved. Thank you for your devotion to me and the boys and all of your grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and brother and sister in laws. We all love you very much. And I am sure that all of the people that you have provided jobs for over the past 50 years thank you for your kindness and devotion to them and their famalies.
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| Momma around 1949 |
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| Momma in 1958 picture |
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| Daddy 1958 |
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| Me, Mom and Greg about 1962 |
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Momma and Daddy in Panama City 1956 |
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| Amber, Momma, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Brenda during the National Peanut Festival Parade 1997 |
The things I have to talk about today are not happy or bright. It's a sad and depressing situation we find ourselves in today. And those of you who do not believe in God and have no faith may not want to read any more, because what I have to say may make you uncomfortable.
All around us today is death and destruction from natural disasters. The people of the City of Tuscaloosa, Al. are still suffering along with dozens of other towns across North Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Pray for these people and if you can give to the American Red Cross do so. Last night the city of Joplin, Missouri was hit by another devastating tornado. The Red Cross is there also and they need your help. The Red Cross is also responding to the millions of people being affected by the floods along the Mississippi river. Give money and blood if you can.
Since Daddy's death in August of 2008 I haven't really known what to do with my self. Not only did he leave us and change our lives, but the whole world changed for everyone. I stood still and slowly watched everything around me crumble. I closed my office in Sept. 2008 and moved my library of samples, books, house plans, computers and other office equipment into storage, and watched while other businesses related to the housing industry slowly crumbled and fell. Our Banking establishments soon followed, our nation's industries suffered and some collapsed, the biggest were held up by our government. Now the banks are still folding, our government has reached it's credit limit and the future of the entire world is looking very dim.
From 2004 to 2006 everyone along the northern Gulf Coast was constantly on guard for the next hurricane coming our way. In 2005 New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast took the brunt of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Up until 24 hours before landfall Destin was predicted to be in the center of landfall for Katrina. New Orleans is about 250 miles to the West of Destin so Wade and I, and most of Destin, decided to stay in our home. It was not pleasant. We lost power for a couple of days. We boarded up all of the windows and doors except for one door and we left one window partially uncovered so we could get some air inside. The temperature was 90+ degrees and the humidity was so high it felt like 120 degrees. We laid on the tile floor in the front room with the sliver of a window opening and tried to sleep but the heat and wind and rain was battering the house so loud it was real difficult to be still, let alone sleep. Our house is built on pilings above ground so we were swaying in the wind. Actually we were vibrating. It felt like the vibration you feel when a train passes and it sounded like one too. I told Wade I would never stay through another Hurricane. After Katrina we cleaned up and went back to completing the work we had due to Hurricanes Dennis, and Ivan. I entered a purchase order in August 2007 that was originally written in August of 2004. It took that long to get back to where we were when the worst of the Hurricanes hit Destin and Pensacola.
I knew the building, design and real estate industries were in trouble in 2006. There were too many homes and condominiums being built on a speculative basis. Loans were being made for second homes that should have never been approved. And the worst was what we couldn't see and didn't know. Financial institutions and large corporations were padding their books to make things look better than they really were. Millions of people lost everything they had. Greed was the driving force for the majority of the world. This world was then and is now a sad, sad place to be.
I had several collegues who took their lives in 2009. One man I knew through my work jumped from the Mid Bay bridge. In January 2009 he drove his convertible to the top of the bridge parked it on the right of way, climbed onto the rail and jumped, taking his life. We later found out that he had recently learned that he had a fatal illness. A few days later there was a local man who went down to the beach on Okaloosa Island took all of his clothes off and walked out into the Gulf and disappeared never to be seen again. He found out that his father's business he recently inherited was going to fold due to the economy. Sad sad stories everywhere.
Everyone suffered except for the guys who were making the bogus loans and padding their financial records to make things look better than they really were. Those guys are making record profits and still writing themselves multi million dollar bonuses, and hounding all the people who didn't file bankruptcy to pay the loans back. When will they have to answer for their part in all of this suffering?
April 2010 rolled around and found the people along the Gulf Coast no longer suffering from the hurricane damage. The dust was finally beginning to settle from all of the crumbling businesses. The businesses related to the building industry and real estate suffered the greatest losses. The lives of countless numbers of families were changed forever. The Emerald Coast was looking forward to the first good productive year in almost 6 years. Then the BP oil platform off the coast of Louisiana blew up. When the platform collapsed and the oil was pouring into the Gulf we knew the year was lost and the future was more uncertain than ever. No one came to vacation. More businesses closed and people moved away. There was no other choice for many people. Untold numbers of people just walked away from their homes and businesses. This added more hardship to the finances of everyone in the area. Our neighbors to the West had the worst of the oil spill. In the Destin East Pass we could see the yellow and white lines of bobbing oil spill containment booms. It was a very sad sight. Is the oil gone? We don't really know. All we know is that it's on the bottom of the Gulf and the long term effects are uncertain. The water appears clear and is as beautiful as ever. We are eating the seafood. We are told the seafood is safe to eat and the water is safe to swim in.
Next weekend, Memorial Day, is the official beginning of our Summer 2011 season. Everyone is excited and ready for a good year. June 1st is the official beginning of hurricane season. My to do list this week has hurricane preparedness checklist on it. Water, lamp oil, candles, flashlights and important papers in a convienent location ready to pack and go if needed.
My prayers are for peace and prosperity for everyone here along the coast and through out the world. My heart is heavy for my home state of Alabama and our neighboring states suffering from tornadoes and floods. The University of Alambama is a part of me. Some of the best years of my life were spent there. I feel an obligation to do whatever I can to help. Encouraging you to give and to not forget about them is just one of the things I can do.
I also encourage you all to pray for our President, and the members of our Congress. They are all faced with decisions that will affect the lives of people all over the world. President Obama carries a heavy heavy burden on his shoulders. As Christians we are charged to pray for our enemies and those that wish to harm us. Please pray for God's will in their lives. Pray for peace in the world and in the hearts and souls of every man on earth. My Granny was a very devoted Christian. She told about me how things would be during the end of time. It's all coming true day by day. She assured me that God would never leave me alone and there was no need to fear death or the things that happen that I can not control. Now I sit here sad for the state of the world but comforted in knowing that in the end all will be well for those who believe and have faith in God. No one knows when that day will come. It may be tomorrow or it may be another 100 years. Just be ready and all will be well.
I recieved an email from my good friend Leah Richardson today and I want to share it with you. Click on the following and go to her blog
http://www.leahrichardson.com/ and click on LR Blog and read today's entry. Leah always seems to have the right words to lead and encourage. Thank you Leah for your friendship and open devotion to all. Have a good day.
