Thank you

To all of my dear friends, family, blog friends, readers, instagram followers, or those who have stopped by my blog in the last few days:

Thank you so much for all of the care, concern, and love you have showed.  We have never in our lives experienced anything like this flooding.  It has impacted our lives in a big way, and there really is no telling how long the after-effects will continue to alter our world.  In the midst of all of the confusion and worry, we have known that there were people who were thinking of us, and wishing us well.  Luckily, we were spared the worst of the flooding.  We feel so blessed that we are safe, as are our possessions.  We didn't lose water or power, which were major concerns.  We were able to obtain safe drinking water to use in the event that fresh water service was lost.  We had the opportunity to prepare for the worst, but have the best possible outcome.

We are so lucky.  But there are a lot of people who were not nearly so lucky.  Entire towns were evacuated, or worse, isolated with no means of escape.  Dams overtopped, or in some instances, failed.  Several people have lost their lives, or are presumed dead.  Hundreds of people are unaccounted for.  It's sobering to realize that rain did this.  Mother nature did this.  It's easy to forget what nature is capable of until you see it firsthand.

These are some pictures I caught Saturday as we were driving to my parents' house.  They don't really do the situation justice, but I hope they help you understand even a fraction of what has been happening here.

So I write this love letter to you all today, but I write it also as a plea.  Thank you all for caring about my state, for caring about me and my loved ones enough to check in.  From the bottom of my heart I give you my thanks.  But I beg you:  please help us stand back up from this.  We know how to recover from fires and tornadoes.  This is the biggest flood in state history, and it won't be an easy thing to recover from.  Agriculture is the #2 source of revenue from the state, and many farmers an ranchers lost substantial crops, livestock, and equipment.  Our railroad tracks have been heavily damaged, and many roads have washed out, or had massive sinkholes open up.  Getting goods transported is becoming a major concern, especially with winter weather looming on the horizon.  There are already hundreds of ways to contribute, to help.  There are hundreds of charities that will plead their case for your time and your hard earned money.  I ask that you please support them, and help to re-build with us.  Because we will re-build.  We will come back from this, and we will be stronger than ever for having done it.

Thank you for reading this today, and everyday.