Monday, October 29, 2012, Nashville, Tennessee, 11:06 a.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Louisiana Sandusky writing.  Wish I could say I am doing well, but I am worried.  Very much worried.

For starters, the hurricane that is off the Eastern Seaboard.  It is only a cat 1 or 2 storm, but it is massive in size and even though the storm is off the coast right now, its effects are already being felt many miles inland.  Cities like Boston, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, DC, and New York City are in the direct line of fire.  

When the 'cane does hit the ramifications are going to be huge and people will be left without power for days.  I just wonder if anybody is taking this thing seriously; hurricanes are nothing to mess with.  I know.  I went through Camille and went through Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, and Hurricane Andrew was a Cat 5.

In addition, I also went down to the Gulf Coast to help with relief efforts after Katrina (and Rita and Ike) and I have seen the devastating effects that a monster hurricane can wreak.  

My son Johnny has a brother that lives in New York City; I also have friends that live in that area (Franklin and M'Kaya Jefferson, the Goertje family, etc.) and I wonder if they took the warnings seriously and sought shelter (hopefully well enough inland).  I pray that they will be okay .... it's all I can do.  No, it's all we all can do!  Just pray ... and wait.

Yesterday, Rachel and Johnny took me to see Susie, his wife's friend's daughter, and sadly, her condition remains about the same.  She is still not talking or responding all that much; all she does is lay there in that hospital bed while others take care of her.  Susie suffered a devastating stroke that left her permanently brain damaged and it is heartbreaking to see that Susie was once a vibrant, active young girl.  It is still unknown at this time if she will get any of her functions back and  it has been over a year since this happened.

Rachel and Susie are best friends ... or were, before all of this happened.  Rachel still says that Susie is her best friend, but it hurts my heart to see Susie in this sad condition.  I just wish the doctors had better news or at least some hope to give us about Susie!

I don't know what the 'cane is going to do to the East Coast, but from what I have seen on the news feed, the pictures are already heartbreaking and it tears my heart all to pieces.  I think of Johnny's brother and my friends in that area of the country and all I want to do is cry.  

If anything were to happen to them, I don't know what I would do!!  I am trying to put my trust in God in all of this, but Lord, it's so damned hard!!!!

Ronee' called me earlier to see if we were feeling any effects from Sandy; I told her no.  It was beautiful, bright sunshine outside.  I told Ronee' that Sandy is big, but she isn't that big!  I think she was relieved ...it was good to hear her voice; she was at school, waiting for her first class to start and for the professor to get there.

I know our church was supposed to have a prayer meeting about Hurricane Sandy this morning; if I didn't have to work, I would have been there.  I hope that if Johnny and Rachel (or any of my friends from church) are there, I hope they remembered I had to work and couldn't get out of it.  I hope they aren't mad at me.  Just in case, I reminded them yesterday before (and after) church and also sent them an e-mail.

 Hopefully the message was received.

I am working in the burn ward: taking care of a Veteran who lost her leg to flesh eating disease; she is doing fairly well, but is now grappling with the fact that she has lost her leg.  Her name is Patricia and was in the Marines for over 20 years  before retiring last year.  Then this happened.  She is in the burn ward.  (We treat flesh eating disease like you would a burn.  You have to remove the diseaseed, dead, or damaged tissue from the patient [often with surgery], or the patient could get worse and die.)

Well, I hate to run, but I have to eat or I won't get anything until lunch time and lunch time for me isn't until 3 or 4 this afternoon; I don't get off work until 7 (7:30 or 7:45 if I'm lucky).

I will write in here again soon; until later, take care and God bless; please join me in praying for the people up and down the East Coast!  Pray for their safety and for help to come lest there be any deaths, damage, or destruction from Sandy!  I would greatly appreciate any and all prayers, especially since I know people who live in that part of the country!  Thank you in advance!

~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May.  :(