The Storm

Henry came into the room with a plate piled high with fresh cooked catfish and a huge bowl of what he said was grits. A big pot of beans was then placed on the table, along with a pot of coffee. “Wow, Henry. This looks great!” “We had a long day,” he responded. “That we did, Sir.” I then remembered what Major Peterson had told me about the water, and I asked Henry about the coffee water being polluted. He told me that his coffee would kill any amoeba, and just chuckled. Then he proceeded to tell me, that he always boiled his water, because the critters in his water well couldn’t survive the boiling process, and then laughed. He had lasted this long, so I went along with the information. Henry spoke up with a serious look and said, “Min d if I pray, Son? The good Lord got us there and back, an' I'm always grateful for His watchful care, 'specially when we did what we did today.” “Sure, Henry,” I responded. I wasn’t about to stand in the way of a man and his God. Delores had been talking to me about this for years but had always been too busy to take it seriously. I repeated “Sure, go-ahead Henry.” Henry bowed his head and began to pray, “Dear Lord, thank you for seeing me and Zach here back home safe tonight and for a warm house to rest our weary bones. Thank you for this food and a bed to rest in and for life itself. Lord, bless this young man that came down here to see firsthand what has happened in our county. Help him be our eyes, ears, and mouth to report to the folks up north what we're goin' through down here. Bless the families that have suffered loss from the perils of livin' in this fallen world. It ain’t heaven yet, and we need your assistance, 'specially now durin' this tough time. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."

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