Things I have learned this week:
(I have to give the disclaimer that this entry is for me.  Not meant to point fingers or come down on anyone but more to look back at later in case I forget the lessons learned this week)

-Snakes are rubbery when hit with a hoe and you have to hit them way harder than I ever imagined!
-A spoonful of Crisco is what you give a dog that you suspect has been snake bit or stung by who knows what and the swelling will immediately start going away!
-If you leave your basement light on at night it can attract honeybees like, lets say 300!!! of them to fly into your basement to try to find a new place to set up house.
-Storm Devastation looks much like a bomb has gone off!
-Storms bring out the best in some and worst in others...and you would really be shocked in your life as to who would fall into each of those categories...not really how you see these people in other situations.
-People will drive hundreds of miles to give two bags of needed goods to help and others will drive just as far just to look at others misfortune...or take pictures!!
-The good I have seen around me has absolutely outweighed the bad.
-We were so blessed to have no damage and be able to help.
-Our church family is just as wonderful today, maybe more so than they were five years ago when it was our own personal struggle with Haley's health.  We saw a side of "the church family" then that we will never forget.  It changed us forever.  We learned of a love, a strength, a true family that is our church, a church, the body of Christ.
-This week I am very excited that our children got to witness people from different ages, races, and lifestyles come together to help out with one cause.
-Last night I felt like I was in the story of the Widow's mite in Luke when a lady came across the gym to hand me a teddy bear in a pink dress and through tears she explained that she wanted to donate it to a child that it would comfort as it had her.  The dress it was wearing her daughter had worn home from the hospital weighing only two pounds and her tears led me to believe her daughter probably wasn't with her anymore.
-A smile and kind word can go a really long way in an otherwise stressful situation.
-I have seen people, mostly women, boss around national guards as if they were their personal servants instead of showing them the respect they deserve for being willing to leave their own families to be here to help.
-People will donate shocking things, good and bad, when asked to help. (good-hundreds of dollars worth of ice, water, baby supplies, diesel fuel, toiletries. bad-half used can of snuff, used bar of soap, nasty and stinky unwashed clothes, this list only gets worse so I will stop there)
-I guess in reflection the biggest thing for me is check yourself.  Are your motives true?  Are you doing all you could be doing to help others?  Not just in times like this but everyday?  Are you treating others with the love and respect they deserve?  Are you using your available resources wisely or hoarding them for "one day"?  Are you judging the motives or salvation of others based on their actions and if so is that really your job?
-It has been a very long and crazy week and I am ready for some normalcy again for us that is starting today.