Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Life is trying to go on as normal. *The sun is shining and there's a warm gulf breeze. *I know of several funerals scheduled this week ... two grandmothers ... three college students tragically taken in a car accident ... others I'm sure. *There's a wedding in two weeks. *I just ate lunch at a local eatery with some friends. *I'm getting ready to teach a class tonight. ...But the signs that something is out of kelter are all around. *There are lines at all the gas stations, and some stations no longer have gasoline to sell. *Boards are going up on windows around town. *The restaurant where I ate was practically empty at noontime. *Our certainties have all carried a clarification, "If...." *We are packing things that we feel are irreplacable, picking up things in the yard that could become projectiles in high winds, and trying to decide when to visit family in North Mississippi. *I'm thinking about packages that are en route to our house. We're such different creatures in this "getting ready" stage ... than we are when the waters of the Gulf are tranquil. A simple question may have radical consequences: "Why Aren't We Living In The Getting Ready Mode All The Time?"