It is NOT just stuff!

When the flood came and we were unsure the extent of damage done to our house, we figured it was under water just like everyone else's. The water came so high so fast there was nothing stopping it! Keith and I felt we were in a daze. We would lay awake thinking of what items were on our first floor  and would be ruined if it flooded. Food, muck lucks, parkas, all my doll collection(200+) all our freezers, our wood stove, my library of books, and more. Things just kept coming to mind! It would make me sick thinking about it. We knew if water got into our house that meant everything outside was lost, like our truck, four wheeler, log splitter, green houses, 1 years supply of wood, our heating fuel, our gas, our snow machine(which we JUST paid off and cancelled the insurance!) and everything in our shed. Keith and I kept telling ourselves "it's just stuff!" When the water receded we heard stories of the damage done to other houses. Many are completely totaled or even GONE! Keith and I felt blessed that we all made it out alive. Everyone in our whole community was safe. There was no loss of life! That is amazing! God really protected all of us! We are going on a week and a half since the flood and we are now getting confirmations on the ground the extent of damage done. Our house did remain dry! Praise The Lord!! But everything outside of it was underwater. Our car which was parked at the school was surrounded by water but is running! Praise The Lord!! Our snow machine and 4 wheeler not so much on the running side. All our wood floated away and is gone. We lost all the contents of our shed.  Again compared to others we lost minimum and we kept telling ourselves "it is all just stuff".  But then a friend who lost EVERYTHING told Keith, "it maybe just stuff, but it is MY stuff, MY memories, MY money that has to replace it." And she is right! I have been telling myself it is just stuff but I didn't let myself morn for the loss of MY stuff. Last night as I lay in bed I realized what I had moved out in the shed a few weeks before. Memories! All my year books signed by my friends, All my letters that my mom sent me, every encouraging note I got from her while I was at boarding school. Every countdown calendar she made me was in that shed. Last night I cried for the memories I lost there! Yes it was just paper but they were priceless to me! They were worth far more then the snow machine, four wheeler or wood would ever cost! That is something I can NOT get back. All of us in Galena a going to have loss and will morn over the "stuff" we lost. It will not be easy for any of us. Some people have a whole lot more memories lost then I do but we will all have to deal with that pain. And we are finding people outside our community don't really understand the task at hand. 

Continue to pray for our community as we deal with loss of our town and the rebuilding process. It is not going to be easy. We are working against the clock called winter. We have till August/September when it arrives and all building will stop. All equipment and supplies must be flown in. Remember there are no roads to our town!

Pray for us as we all come to the conclusion that it may be just "stuff" but it is our stuff and our memories. Pray for us as we cry for memories lost but move on to building new ones.

And please, if you see me please don't tell me " It is just stuff" because I know it is just stuff but again it is MY stuff!