So I haven’t lived in Houston for a long time, a little over 7 years to be more precise and while I still love my home I don’t know that I’ll ever live there again. I’ve never regretted the choice to move away nor have I every truly wished to go back (in a remotely permanent sense)… until I heard about the hurricane. I know this sounds bizarre but it has more to do with the fact that my mother is alone and scared in a boarded up house waiting for this to pass. And I absolutely loathe to see her do it alone. I have never felt bad about making the choice to travel and explore while I am young but I also have never had to seriously worry about my mother. I do feel the occasional pangs of guilt when she complains about her athritis and having trouble with the groceries but she is an amazingly competent woman and I generally have nothing to worry about. The hurricane on the other hand is a huge natural disaster heading straight for my home and what really upsets me is that I cannot even be there just to give her company through the storm. Houston has weathered many storms and I have no doubt this will be just another one. I am fairly confident (and hope I don’t sound overly confident because I’m trying to walk the line between confidence and panic) that nothing will happen and she will be fine and they just won’t have power for a couple of days. But I wish I could have flown down and been there with her. If I weren’t in grad school with finals this Monday and Tuesday, forget flying, I would’ve hauled my butt into my little car and “flown” down there as fast as my dinky car could carry me.

I hope that any others who have family and friends in Houston (or elsewhere in the path of our good friend Ike) are keeping safe and have plenty of water and food to tide them through. From what all the reports tell me it shouldn’t be too bad but let’s face it a few days without power or running water is never any fun. So my very best thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the path of the storm.