Atlantic City has opened up for the people to return. It will be interesting to see how quickly the casinos will be up and operating. We were told last night that the water was once again drinkable. We were asked to let the water run from all the faucets for five minutes. I am trying to see if the drug store or banks will be open soon so we can get meds and our banking done. Then it will be to the grocery store although the traffic on the streets is packed right now so I think we'll wait for a day or two.
One elderly lady in our building went out to the store and got back with food for all of the elderly who were out of food. What a generous soul.
I just learned that the banks and the drug stores are not going to be open for a few days. That is going to be very rough for some folks who are out of their meds, or need to get to a bank to cash their Social Security checks. The truth is though that the Post Office is not running in Atlantic City, so they may not even have gotten their checks. When you live on social security or SSI you tend to live very close to the edge and not have any money in your pockets from about the 20th of the month or so, until you get your checks again. I worry that many thousands will not have food left and no where to go to get any, and no money if there was a place to get food. I have not seen FEMA yet, but the American Red Cross is trying to step up to the plate. So many Atlantic City residents have very low incomes and struggle just to survive the month without tragedies coming along to disrupt their lives.
A couple of stories from the New York area. A couple who are well off were going to throw a huge ball for a good cause. It was scheduled for next week in Manhattan. But it has been cancelled because one of the organizers' mother is lost and cannot be found in the hospitals or at any friends house. Her house had suffered much damage from Sandy and she is frantic to find her mother. The other organizer held a funeral for his mother the day before the storm and then totally lost his home in the hurricane. So much sorrow and it hits every economic level equally. Natural Disasters have a way of leveling the playing field, we are all just human beings struggling to stay above water literally, and to dig out of all the sand and get back to our homes. We are hungry, wet, and tired and see that the clean up is going to be a long time coming, although everyone went right to work at recovering. Human beings are so resilient. I am proud of the love and concern that everyone is showing to each other. I believe we will be a stronger people for it.
THE GOD GAMES: Heaven & Hell...Chapter Thirty Eight
(Ann has just entered Heaven and is meeting with her friends and family for the first time.)
George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix were there and they were playing the wonderful music that I loved so much, I told them thank you for coming and thanks for the beautiful music they had created that had helped me get through the rough spots in life. Then I saw Mr. Wishnak and his large family, and behind him I saw Judy, my nearest and dearest friend. How beautiful they all looked.
It was at that point that I saw Annabelle Zeezo. She stood by the side of one of the tables and her face shone brighter than all the other faces around me. She turned and saw me and moved toward me, but I was too fast for her and grabbed her in a big bear hug and squeezed her tight. How could I ever thank her enough for being there for Charley and me? We could hardly get the words out of our mouths, but eventually we began to talk about the blessings that she had given to Charley and me and she insisted that the blessings had gone both ways. We concluded that we were so glad that we had each other's love and support in trying times and dearly loved each other.
The room was filled with flowers of all colors and types and they sang their various tones. Two long tables were in the center of the room covered with lace tablecloths and an abundance of fruit and vegetables, dips and crackers, freshly baked bread, cheeses, and jams and jellies. One table was loaded down with pies of all descriptions. There were two fountains of wine kept cool by ice sculptures in the shapes of birds and butterflies. It was all so lovely that I could hardly stop saying thank you to everyone I met.
Ed reintroduced me to my heavenly father and mother. Father said that as soon as I was acclimated to my surroundings that I would be meeting with him and two other Elders to go over my options now that I was in this marvelous Promised Land: Home, and all it entailed. He welcomed me to rest at his home after the party.
Throughout the party there were, projected on the walls, scenes from my life game. Moments so prcious that I thought had been lost long ago were now seen clearly. All of the wonderful Christmas mornings from when I was a little girl, and as we raised our children, were not lost, but had been preserved in these "home movies" that could always be seen just for the asking. I hugged mom and dad over and over again and thanked them for molding my character and raising me to be the kind of person that I am. I thanked daddy for teaching me to love everyone and have no prejudice against any person. I also thanked my parents for being so accepting of my interracial family, for loving all of the grandchildren so much; for not showing any prejudice, not even for a moment.
Seeing Becky and Carol was heaven in and of itself. Becky was a beautiful spirit and her face just shone with love. Carol was a wonderful girl with the giant spirit that I now remembered from before I left home: light and love was what she was about.
The party lasted a good long while and everyone had a fine time, but finally it was over and all of my family and friends left me to rest and consider all that I had heard and seen since I returned home. Ed left me with a final hug and told me to rest and relax. He said that he would be back in the morning and that he and Glenna would accompany me to the Revisiting-Your-Life-Game Building.
Tomorrow, the next day spent in Heaven and preparing for our next step, the Revisiting-Your-Life-Game Building.
One elderly lady in our building went out to the store and got back with food for all of the elderly who were out of food. What a generous soul.
I just learned that the banks and the drug stores are not going to be open for a few days. That is going to be very rough for some folks who are out of their meds, or need to get to a bank to cash their Social Security checks. The truth is though that the Post Office is not running in Atlantic City, so they may not even have gotten their checks. When you live on social security or SSI you tend to live very close to the edge and not have any money in your pockets from about the 20th of the month or so, until you get your checks again. I worry that many thousands will not have food left and no where to go to get any, and no money if there was a place to get food. I have not seen FEMA yet, but the American Red Cross is trying to step up to the plate. So many Atlantic City residents have very low incomes and struggle just to survive the month without tragedies coming along to disrupt their lives.
A couple of stories from the New York area. A couple who are well off were going to throw a huge ball for a good cause. It was scheduled for next week in Manhattan. But it has been cancelled because one of the organizers' mother is lost and cannot be found in the hospitals or at any friends house. Her house had suffered much damage from Sandy and she is frantic to find her mother. The other organizer held a funeral for his mother the day before the storm and then totally lost his home in the hurricane. So much sorrow and it hits every economic level equally. Natural Disasters have a way of leveling the playing field, we are all just human beings struggling to stay above water literally, and to dig out of all the sand and get back to our homes. We are hungry, wet, and tired and see that the clean up is going to be a long time coming, although everyone went right to work at recovering. Human beings are so resilient. I am proud of the love and concern that everyone is showing to each other. I believe we will be a stronger people for it.
THE GOD GAMES: Heaven & Hell...Chapter Thirty Eight
(Ann has just entered Heaven and is meeting with her friends and family for the first time.)
George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix were there and they were playing the wonderful music that I loved so much, I told them thank you for coming and thanks for the beautiful music they had created that had helped me get through the rough spots in life. Then I saw Mr. Wishnak and his large family, and behind him I saw Judy, my nearest and dearest friend. How beautiful they all looked.
It was at that point that I saw Annabelle Zeezo. She stood by the side of one of the tables and her face shone brighter than all the other faces around me. She turned and saw me and moved toward me, but I was too fast for her and grabbed her in a big bear hug and squeezed her tight. How could I ever thank her enough for being there for Charley and me? We could hardly get the words out of our mouths, but eventually we began to talk about the blessings that she had given to Charley and me and she insisted that the blessings had gone both ways. We concluded that we were so glad that we had each other's love and support in trying times and dearly loved each other.
The room was filled with flowers of all colors and types and they sang their various tones. Two long tables were in the center of the room covered with lace tablecloths and an abundance of fruit and vegetables, dips and crackers, freshly baked bread, cheeses, and jams and jellies. One table was loaded down with pies of all descriptions. There were two fountains of wine kept cool by ice sculptures in the shapes of birds and butterflies. It was all so lovely that I could hardly stop saying thank you to everyone I met.
Ed reintroduced me to my heavenly father and mother. Father said that as soon as I was acclimated to my surroundings that I would be meeting with him and two other Elders to go over my options now that I was in this marvelous Promised Land: Home, and all it entailed. He welcomed me to rest at his home after the party.
Throughout the party there were, projected on the walls, scenes from my life game. Moments so prcious that I thought had been lost long ago were now seen clearly. All of the wonderful Christmas mornings from when I was a little girl, and as we raised our children, were not lost, but had been preserved in these "home movies" that could always be seen just for the asking. I hugged mom and dad over and over again and thanked them for molding my character and raising me to be the kind of person that I am. I thanked daddy for teaching me to love everyone and have no prejudice against any person. I also thanked my parents for being so accepting of my interracial family, for loving all of the grandchildren so much; for not showing any prejudice, not even for a moment.
Seeing Becky and Carol was heaven in and of itself. Becky was a beautiful spirit and her face just shone with love. Carol was a wonderful girl with the giant spirit that I now remembered from before I left home: light and love was what she was about.
The party lasted a good long while and everyone had a fine time, but finally it was over and all of my family and friends left me to rest and consider all that I had heard and seen since I returned home. Ed left me with a final hug and told me to rest and relax. He said that he would be back in the morning and that he and Glenna would accompany me to the Revisiting-Your-Life-Game Building.
Tomorrow, the next day spent in Heaven and preparing for our next step, the Revisiting-Your-Life-Game Building.
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