Flooding

When we moved to Hunter’s Pointe in June 1987, I was thrilled. At that time Center Grove was just beginning to grow, and it felt like we had shifted from urban to country. But most of all, I loved having an extra room downstairs to contain all the kids’ toys. No more tripping over Lego structures or baby dolls on the way to the kitchen!

Fast-forward 32 years and voila! That’s the same room our kids now fight over when they visit.

Most days in Hunter’s Pointe are typical suburbia—cyclists, folks walking their dogs, runners, mothers pushing strollers, and a constant to-work, come-home traffic flow.

This past Wednesday our neighborhood flooded (literally) confusion. While West Crooked Lane is getting a much-needed facelift, a broken water main created a river. Personnel from both the paving company and Bargersville Water Company literally met in the middle.

Our typical neighborhood now felt like a disaster zone. Orange cones and hardhat construction workers redirected traffic. Water surged into the ripped apart concrete streets. The crushed stone base sank swamp-like.

Upheavals like this precipitate instant life-changes—boil water, stay home, etc.

Such is life this side of Heaven! We’re often cast into chaos. We can be walking on level ground one moment when troubles surge. Then who saves us? It’s simple.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:2-3

True or False? I have never lived farther than 10 miles from White River. At the risk of your thinking I don’t get out much, my answer is True.

While growing up in Bloomfield, Indiana, our family crossed White River frequently as it edged the town’s western perimeter. My sister and I could bike to one of its creeks where we learned to skip stones and torment frogs with stray branches.

Later I followed the river north. Although I didn’t choose Ball State University based upon its five-mile proximity to White River, I enjoyed knowing it was nearby. The only Muncie river interaction I remember involved an earth science class field trip to study how the city purified its water.

The farthest I’ve ever lived from White River came after Al and I were married and rented our first apartment near Eagle Creek Reservoir. At that location, I was approximately 10 miles from the river. Ironically that was the closest I’ve ever lived to a body of water.

When we built our first home in Decatur Township two years later, we lived five miles west of the river. In 1987, we moved to our current location in Center Grove, five miles east of the river. When it flooded in 2008, White River and our area erupted into a news flash as homes were damaged beyond repair.

This spring White River became relevant when Al and I were introduced to its scenic four-mile round trip asphalt trail, the White River Greenway Trail, which starts at Waverly’s Old Town Park. There’s no better way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Thank you, White River, for being a continuum this side of Heaven!

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. . .” Revelation 22:1

Tag: Flooding

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