Steve called me this afternoon to let me know that Dallas was having some severe weather and he thought there was a Tornado Watch in effect. I hopped on the internet and the lead news story I saw was about the twin twisters that hit Dallas...okay, now you've got my attention.
I asked the girls to get their bike helmets and put on their socks and shoes and plan for some time in the "safe closet"...our master closet. They made sure to get their kitties and I scooped up Gracia so she could join them in the closet. Then I was off to quickly check some things...weather radio: check, filled water bottles: check, diaper bag with wallet, keys, etc: check, flashlight: check, book to read to the girls: check, cards to play a game: check, windows opened: check, laptop: check, iPhone: check.
I called Steve to check on him...I very much wanted him to come home, but also realized that it would be safest if he waited until the storms passed before leaving Dallas. The sirens went off when I was talking to him...and then I almost panicked.
The sound of tornado sirens is eerie...and I remember well the sirens when I lived in Nebraska. But back then I was a kid. I knew how devastating and dangerous tornadoes can be...I would even say I respected them...but I was just a kid. I remembered spending hours, sometimes days it seemed, in our basement...but I was just a kid. I remembered being stuck at Independence Day festivities one July 4th while twin twisters headed right for us and being very afraid...but I was just a kid.
...but now I am a Mom...
...and today kinda scared me.
Thankfully the fear didn't last long. When I heard the sirens, I almost cried. But I knew that would not help my girls. I gathered my thoughts, God got me under control, and I joined my girls in the closet. We all got comfy...except Gracia...she was miserable with her helmet on...see :)
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| One of these things is not the like the others~ |
I explained to the girls the best I could without scaring them...I mean, come on, Mom doesn't usually make us wear our helmets and sit in the closet...they knew this was not a regular thunderstorm. They were great...they did what I asked when I asked...and they were being very brave. I explained that Daddy was going to stay in the city longer than usual until it was safe for him to drive home. We called him on the phone just as he got the warning for everyone in his building to seek shelter in the stairwell. We lost power for a few minutes and used the flashlight for a while. At one point the flashlight went off too...that made Sophia nervous, but she handled it like a trooper until I got the candle lit. Gracia, however, did not like the sudden darkness and proceeded to make it known. And through it all, Bella remained cool, calm, and collected.
The girls were watching a DVD about weather when all this began...I kid you not :) I had gotten it at the library the day before because I thought it would be a good science lesson. So, I encouraged them that we were learning about weather first hand...these would be lessons we would not soon forget.
But the thing I really wanted them to remember...the "lesson" I for sure wanted them to know was that they could trust God. I sure didn't want to scare them and this was not the best time for a deep, theological lesson...some simple truths would suffice. I reminded them (and it was good for me too) that no matter what happened, God loves them. And no matter how this afternoon turned out, God is good. I wasn't overly worried about the afternoon turning out super bad, but the thought did occur to me that I would want them to hear these truths and I would want them to know that this is what I believed no matter what happened the rest of the day.
Even when things look horrible and do not turn out the way we want, we can trust that our Lord sees us, is not surprised by anything, and that He is trustworthy and loving...even if it doesn't make sense to us...this is what I wanted my girls to hear.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8: 28
Now before you go thinking we proceeded by singing Kumbaya while we had our candles lit...remove that image from your mind:) We wrapped up this very deep truth by playing a rousing game of Go Fish, talking with Daddy, talking with my parents, talking with some friends who called to check on us, listening to the radio, and reading :)
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| Snuggled up with a good book~ |
We stayed in the closet almost two hours...the storms let up enough that I felt it was safe to leave our closet shelter and take our helmets off...yes, I wore one too :) Gracia took a nap while the big girls finished watching the weather DVD. And we enjoyed a great big family hug when Steve arrived safely home :)
Lord, thank you for keeping my family safe...and please be with those whose lives have been sadly affected by these storms.
Hoping tomorrow is a milder day~
Rach
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