Ice, Ice...go away.
Oh, the damage it has done.
Ice has been the main topic of conversation in my world this week. Not just one, but two kinds of ICE
ICE #1: Many of you know that Nashville got hit with a crippling ice storm this week.
We got some snow first, and that was kind of fun for a while, but when the ice moved in, it was a whole different story. The damage done by this ice storm will have long-term effects. The landscape will be changed forever.
It’s truly breathtaking — and not in a good way.
Mike and I got extremely lucky. Once we lost power, we started making a plan.
It quickly became clear that it would likely be days before power would get restored to our street, and it wouldn’t be safe in our home with no source of heat and temperatures predicted to go down below zero. (*on a side note, I think he finally agrees that the gas fireplace I’ve been begging for might be a smart idea. I saw him looking at them online yesterday. Fingers crossed I might actually get one soon!)
So, Mike got in his SUV to check the roads and see if we could possibly get out and travel to someplace safe. He called and said he was able to get up our big hill and out of the neighborhood, and we had about two hours before the temps would start tumbling, so I should start packing ASAP. As I was quickly throwing things into a suitcase, I saw him walking back to our house. Apparently during the 10 mins he was gone, a huge tree had fallen across our road, making it impossible for him to drive back to the house. And since we live on a dead-end street that ends at the Cumberland River, we were also trapped (unless we wanted to canoe out of there).
After some quick debate about options, my amazing husband fired up his chainsaw and started going to work on cutting up the tree so we could evacuate as soon as possible. A couple of sweet neighbors saw him walking down the road with a chainsaw and offered to help. Thankfully, together they were able to do it in about an hour, and we were able to pack up and head down to our new Airbnb in south Tennessee. We navigated the roads carefully and arrived safely to wait out this ice storm down here, where we have power and a gas fireplace. :-)
Please continue to keep Nashville in your prayers over the next few days, and even weeks. We are incredibly lucky to have a safe place to go, but many do not. Many can’t even afford a hotel room for one night. People are suffering right now.
The clean up will be similar to recovering from tornado damage, except that tornados damage a path through town, not the entire town. It’s going to take a while to undo this damage and even then, things are going to look different around here from now on.
Speaking of long-lasting damage…. let’s talk about ICE #2:
The “ICE storm” that has been going on in Minnesota is unbelievable. This shouldn’t be happening in America. Citizens being gunned down by a gang of thugs right in front of our eyes. Thugs being supported by the US government. Thugs wearing masks to hide their faces. Why? Because they don’t want their secret lives and ugly hearts exposed for who they really are. Just like the KKK hid behind their hoods.
We shouldn’t have to be exposed to such brutal behavior and the subsequent gaslighting from our government, trying to tell us that we aren’t seeing what we see with our own eyes. How are people blindly believing the lies coming out of our current administration’s mouths? I just don’t get it.
What is happening is damaging on so many levels.
It’s foremost damaging to the families of those being murdered for no reason by the ICE gangs. Their loved ones will never be back. They have been taken from their lives forever and there’s no reason for it.
But it’s also damaging to those of us watching what is happening to other human beings… and to America. It’s changing our landscape. Our constitution is being attacked on a level I’ve never seen. I’m afraid America will never look the same. Will we ever recover? Can we heal from this damage?
And how are we supposed to fight back against this extreme authoritarianism? Renee Good and Alex Pretti were trying to defend their neighbors against the unfair tactics of ICE, and they were killed for it. Not only were they needlessly murdered, but then they were unfairly misrepresented as domestic terrorists by our government leaders. Oh, the lies that Noem, Vance, Trump and Rubio have used to defend such evil. And just like I said about the ice storm damage in Nashville, it’s breathtaking —- and not in a good way. This storm damage is hitting our whole nation, and we are exhausted from the brutality of it.
This poem by Amanda Gorman is such a perfect reflection to what many of us are feeling right now.
“Love your people and you will die.” Isn’t that what Jesus did? He loved us so much that he refused to cower to the empire. He stood up for the rights of the marginalized. He refused to say that something deeply wrong was right. He would be protecting his neighbors who are being unfairly attacked….and we should do the same.
So, I’m saying it now: What is happening in America right now is deeply wrong.
I’m not ok with it. Are you?
If not, tell me what you are doing to fight against the damage being done to us right now. I want to fight this in every way I can. Any ideas are welcome and appreciated.
God bless America as she weeps in sorrow at what is being done to her by her own elected officials.
Ice, ICE, go away…. We are praying for better days.
Much love to you all… M
THINGS I’M LOVING THIS MONTH:
BOOK: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, by Martin Luther King, Jr. — I can’t tell you how much I need this book right now.
MOVIE: I love to try and watch all the movies nominated for film of the year before the Oscars. So far, we’ve seen Frankenstein, Bugonia, One Battle After Another, and Sinners. On tap tonight: Hamnet. What’s been your favorite movie this year so far?
RECIPE: Sausage and Tortellini Soup. This is my new favorite soup — thanks to my sister, Lori, who served a version of this at her home when I visited recently. Perfect for these cold winter nights!
My heart is so broken for this country. I have appealed to my state congressmen. Beyond that, I feel so lost, other than meeting my neighbors out in public and going above and beyond to show them that I welcome their presence here in our shared country - a country that has always welcomed people from near and far. We are a living patchwork quilt of a civilization. I don’t have the answers, but I feel like the people of Minneapolis are a good start. I hope the rest of the nation will rise up to meet their example and stand with their neighbors, arm in arm, and affirm that we will not sit idly by while our most precious gift of freedom is taken from us. As with anything in life, I think we only get somewhere by having constructive dialogue with those willing to listen to an opposing view with open ears…they may be few, but they are out there. Thank you for continuing the conversation in a respectful manner. I am so glad you and your husband made it to a safe haven and I am praying for your neighbors and many friends that have been affected by this devastating storm. May God be near to us all in our desperation 🙏🏼
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own, This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it, Soldiers are cutting us down. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground, How can you run when you know. ~Neil Young. May 4th, 1970. ICE is the new Ohio National Guard.