A new kind of normal...

The Lord says, "Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don't you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land... The people I made will sing songs to praise me."

Isaiah 43:18-19, 21

"A new kind of normal" is what we have finally settled into here at the Dickerson home-or as Annie likes to call it, our "Temple home." Since my last blog, our family has evacuated for Hurricane Ike's arrival on Galveston Island, and essentially, never returned. Our home is not all lost, but it will never again resemble the home we became a family in. It is just a shell now of a familiar place, but one thing that God has reminded me through all of this is that home is where your family is together. My sweet friends, fish village, our church--oh, how I miss FBC Galveston so much sometimes it makes my heart hurt! In all that we consider lost, it is nothing compared to God's faithfulness and grace that we have encountered around every corner of this journey. We have been blessed by family to stay with (who donate any and all furniture that they have to spare), a wonderful home to rent in the town where Sam and I grew up, and incredible friends who have prayed for and supported us through it all. "Thank you," does not begin to describe how I feel about each and every one of you. You will never know how deeply you touched our lives. Other blessings on this side of disaster:

Annie and Hudson are getting to spend priceless time with their Nana, Poppy, Gronnie and Grandaddy, and I can see their love for their grandparents growing every day.

About 10 days after Hurricane Ike, Sam was offered a job in College Station. We had been praying for God's direction and He answered with authority and grace. We will be moving to Aggieland in June (and I am sure on the waiting list for season tickets to watch Aggie football...).

God led us to find a fantastic school for Annie. She goes the same days and time that she did in Galveston and has really enjoyed it. She loves her teacher and has made some new friends. I think it has really helped her to adjust after moving so abruptly. If I could take her school with us when we move, I would! This is another answered prayer....just add it to the list.

A week after the hurricane, Sam and I went down to try to salvage what we could from our house. After two days, we left with an Expedition and a UHAUL full. We returned less than a week later to completely clean out the house, save the rest of whatever we could and trash the rest. I wish I had taken a picture of the trash pile...you would not have believed it! Myself, Sam, his brother Dave, my Dad, Sam's parents, and their friends, the Neighbors, made up the team that cleared out the house and tore out the sheet rock and appliances. Thankfully Dave is an expert at these types of things and brought all the tools we needed. Since then we have not been back to the Island. Our home has gone through more demo, having no floors, walls or cabinets at the current time, but the our praise is that our contractor will be able to start restoring the house at the end of next week. It has been a long road, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have so many fears and worries about what the next 8 months will bring. I don't know if we will be moving back to the Island, or even somewhere else for Sam to finish his residency. How will Annie and Hudson handle another move, or Annie handle yet a third school? Or, Sam may stay at Scott & White in Temple until May or June. We just don't know...and that is the hardest part. What we DO know is that God is faithful and He knows. I can rest in knowing that.

For now, I will keep you posted on our life in Temple, and be sure to share all the fun, craziness and love that we have in this family....wherever God puts us!