In the days after the storm, I did a great deal of reflecting. Facing the potential loss of all one’s worldly possessions forces one to evaluate what is truly important. So I took this opportunity to watch myself carefully. Obviously, my loved ones and my dog were number one before any of my "stuff." That was a no-brainer.

But in going through my things, I got a big clue about what was most important to me. There were a few photos that I put into plastic boxes and Ziplock bags hoping that if our house got flooded, they would survive. There were a few knick-knacks that had been given by dear friends or had belonged to my mother that went into the plastic boxes.

And then I started gathering up my art and placing it in the hallway on the second floor of my house. Up went the easel and the Mason jar filled with my paint brushes. Up went the box of pastels and the plastic box with all my drawing pencils. Up went my massage table. I backed up all the creative work I had done on my computer and put the discs in my emergency to-go bag, along with my money, driver's license and medicine.

I wasn't worried about clothes, shoes, TV or furniture. The things associated with creativity and with healing were the things I wanted to keep safe.

So this storm was not just another storm. It was a wake-up call to take inventory of what is most important in my life and to consider what really does make my heart sing. In considering these things, I realized how much I had taken for granted.

In that respect, it was the perfect storm.

I will leave you with this as well: If I had found that I had to leave my house, carrying only my little dog and making sure my loved ones were safely with me, that is all I would have needed. All of the rest of it could have been replaced or recreated -- even the paintings that I had spent hours upon hours to create.

I had to remember that God is infinite, a God of constant creation, and that as long as I placed myself into God's hands, I would weather the storm. Perhaps, when it was all over, I might even find myself being grateful for it.

I am grateful. I’m also humbled, and so very blessed.