Saturday, March 19, 2011

"Misawa Refugees" Arrive Home

Thirteen "Misawa Refugees"  were flown out of Tokyo to Misawa on a C-130. We arrived Saturday at 0400.  I promise to write. I find myself unmotivated to describe my emotions, my thoughts, our new normal and yet....others are telling me "write, write"....as they realize I process when I write. LOL  I will...maybe this afternoon.

Yesterday was filled with a briefing. I thought it would be info good for all to know...it turned out to be mostly info for those who have chosen to leave. Obviously, most in the crowd were leaving. I went to the commissary to restock our groceries.  I always have a full pantry and freezer. Mike and the kids did well...the freezer was over 1/2 empty and my shelves looking bare....with one exception. I tend not to buy "canned" and I now have lots of canned food.... we are now subject to power outages and it's nice to have on hand. I hadn't stocked canned foods for emergencies as we don't have storage space and we don't do "canned" but we do now. ::snort::  As I tooled around the commissary filling my cart with fresh lettuce, fruit, veggies....I was amazed at how well stocked the shelves were. Then I hit the snack aisle and I realized everyone I met was leaving and filling up with items to take on the plane, to tide them over as they aren't sure where they will be landing etc. I began to feel that I must be one of the only spouses staying....  I began to get a bit shaky...then realized my family is 100% in agreement in our decision, we're watching the reports, we've prayed, and decided to stay. No need to second guess our decision based on what others have decided. God is faithful. He leads us differently. If we had health reasons or if any of us were still very shaken - we would leave. If Mike were deployed, for his peace of mind, he may have asked us to leave.  Good to be reminded that God isn't after cookie cutter Christians...but those who listen to Him for their individual paths and follow.

On a side note, our Wing Chaplain welcomed me home and reports that 100% of the chapel staff (Chaplains and Chaplain's Assistants) have chosen to stay. As he put it - "We're in the business of hope."  They are very busy now talking to those who need to talk, helping with the out processing necessary for so many to leave. It's amazing the amount of man hours and details that go into moving this many people quickly. In a sense this is a real life practice of all the filed  contingency plans....and it seems to be working well. So....objectively, we are NOT the only family staying.... ::snort::

Arielle and Jared spent the day at the center where those leaving are  pre-processing. They watched children all day. They were glad to be doing something that felt helpful and meaningful. These are the opportunities we will continue to look for. We wanted to help with clean up in Hachinohe, but are told that children must be at least 16 yo. Anything I do, I need to be able to do with our younger set.

Our kerosene tank was filled. This is good. We still are heating only one room. We aren't sure about our propane source. I'm working to figure out which way is the most efficient  to cook - base says microwave...but that isn't the way I usually cook....so I'll experiment...can I roast veggies in the microwave? Frankly, at this point we'll probably get more radiation from cooking so many meals in the microwave than we will from the reactor. ::grin:: It's good that I grind wheat and can bake bread....we'll have that regardless. I plan to bake a full oven full this afternoon or tomorrow so that we have it  on hand.

It's good to be HOME with my family. Adjusting to the new normal will come quickly.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...