5.9 Earthquake and now Hurricane Irene? I need a nap..

It's been a wierd week, I must say. Tuesday afternoon, there was an earthquake...in Virginia of all places! I was taking a nap at my boyfriend's house while he was watching tv and then I heard something rumbling...a loud noise. I woke up and I saw the floor shaking. I had no clue what it was, then, out of the corner of my eye, something fell and I told my boyfriend we had to get out. A couple seconds after we got outside, the shaking stopped. Everyone in his neighborhood was outside. I could hear them say "earthquake". Honestly, despite having lived in California, I have never in my life felt an earthquake before. My boyfriend said I overreacted, I guess maybe, but I didn't expect Virginia to have earthquakes! After we went back inside, I texted my family to make sure they were okay since we live closer to epicenter. They were fine (All thanks to God). My mom said that a lot of stuff broke however including glass. She said that something broke in my room and that she was going to check once she cleaned downstairs. Fortunately, my room wasn't too bad. My Winnie the Pooh Hunny Jar stir stick broke and two glasses me and my boyfriend bought for sometime in the future broke and shattered all over my closet. Everything else was just tossed around. People seemed to be freaking out though on facebook..but I think Japan had it far worse.

My room after the earthquake..my poor video games.

And now, there is a hurricane heading north towards Virginia. Wooo. Apparently I still have class and I still have work. I really don't want to go to work this weekend. I just want to sleep, haha. Sometimes, I feel so lazy. But, I could really use the money since I have to travel 45 minutes to an hour just to get to school. And let me be the first to tell you, gas is far from cheap when you drive a Nissan Pathfinder. But, I digress. I really want to talk about a scripture today. I've been listening to gospel music today and one song really kinda...hit me. "Hide Me' by Kirk Franklin. So I went searching for scriptures. I know. I'm wierd, I believe I established this first hand, haha. I found a couple that really hit me!

"You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." - Psalms 32:7

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in thee." - Psalms 84:11-12

I wasn't always a Chrstian. I didn't always believe in God. For 17 years of my life, I was an Atheist. I will never forget the feelings I had experienced during those years, however. I felt so insecure. I didn't feel protected. I felt that those who had hurt me, or did me wrong were let loose and never convicted. I felt I was never safe. But, as I started going to church and reading the bible, I felt a heavy presence starting to appear in my life. I started accepting my past and forgiving. I felt safe. There are still times where I feel vulnerable. But, once I read a protection scripture, I feel like nothing can get me or stop me. I am thankful for every day God has provided me protection.

I hope all you wonderful readers have a a great week! For everyone in the path of Hurricane Irene, be sure to pray for protection! Hopefully there won't be much damage..
Thank you for reading! <3
With love,
Taylor Rae