Why I've Been MIA

If you've heard about the devastating floods in Nashville, then you know why I haven't been posting. Our neighborhood was among the many that were flooded, and many, many homes just down the street from us are severely damaged or destroyed. I'm so thankful that our home was not affected, but so many of our neighbors' homes had the first floors saturated. The neighboring subdivision had even worse damage, with water up to the roofs in some cases. Fortunately, no one here was hurt.

We had no power for two days, and we couldn't leave to get ice or food because the roads were closed. So, needless to say, running has not been a priority. And then there's this: Where will we run? Our beautiful trail that I write about so often is completely under water and most likely destroyed. The neighborhood streets are littered with mounds of drywall, soggy insulation, furniture, tricycles and other belongings that are drying in the sun or waiting to be hauled off to the landfill. Some areas are open, but I'm not sure how I feel about jogging through that - even if we go early. It seems wrong somehow and so trivial in the face of all that has happened.

I'll leave you with these photos of our running trail. The first shows the entrance to the trail, completely submerged, along with the first floor of a neighbor's home. The second was taken after the floodwaters had receded quite a bit. I'm afraid we won't be back there for awhile.