Be Careful of What You Ask For

Good morning everyone,

Unless you live under a rock in Nebulus IV, there is a strong possibility that you were affected by hurricane Matthew in some shape or form.  I am happy to report that Desiree and I were only slightly inconvenienced with no power for a couple of days and a few flying shingles.  Whether your damage was minimal or catastrophic, if you are reading this blog; you are blessed.  From the Caribbean to the United States the storm left a path of destruction in its wake like Godzilla walking through Tokyo.  The death toll in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is over one thousand and counting.  Matthew also was responsible for 28 deaths over five southern states here at home.  In watching the news, there were people that second guessed the personal decisions that they made as the storm approached.  I should have evacuated, I should not have evacuated, I didn’t prepare properly, I ran out of this, I ran out of that, were some of the comments that were aired by television stations all over the city.  But, it wasn’t until yesterday, when I was procuring items to give away at my book launch(October 15), did I hear a story that put it all in perspective.  Pay close attention; inch up to your desk top, laptop, phone, tablet, or whatever device you happen to be using.  The gentlemen that I am referencing is a successful businessman who lives on Jacksonville Beach just 75 yards from the pier that is now floating off the coast of Africa somewhere.  He went on to tell me how he had a huge sand dune that obstructed his pristine view of the Atlantic.  He consulted engineers, architects, and land surveyors but to no avail.  For years he wanted it gone.  He even contemplated taking matters into his own hands and erasing his obstruction one shovel of sand at a time. With no hope of ridding the obstacle in sight, he instead built his deck higher to compensate for the giant mound of sand.  But, on October 7th, 2016 when the world around him was falling apart like Legos being stepped on in the middle of the night; when the recently built public pier was being gobbled up by the pounding surf like a turkey on Thanksgiving; when his neighbor’s houses were being swallowed whole by the sea like a deviled egg at a pot party, his home was protected by the one thing that annoyed him most about his situation.  It made me think.  When my life was stalling like a car out of gas, the things that annoyed me the most, were the things that God had surrounded around me to keep me safe.  I considered my brother an annoyance, my mom got on my nerves praying and begging for me to seek help, my daughter’s love for me bugged me as well; anyone who was not living my kind of lifestyle downright made me sick.  And, just like my friend, the morning I appeared before the judge who would ultimately play a major role in saving my life( read the book), I wanted him out of my way; when all the time God had placed him there to protect me from the hurricane called Richard.