Storms and Stories

Yesterday we had a beautiful start to our day. The sun was shining and the air was warm. Ashton and Tate were having a splendid time playing in the backyard on the swingset. I went upstairs for a moment to fold some laundry and turned on the tv. Tornado Warning! I went outside to see ominious clouds circling overhead and what was a totally bright day was now dark and spooky. I ushered the kids inside just as the power went out. It began to pour and the wind was whipping the trees to and fro. We headed for the dark basement...how did it get so dark so quickly?

It was 3 in the afternoon and I could barely see anything. I rummaged for a couple of flashlights and found two small ones (time to re-organize our 72 hours kits). The boys were a bit freaked out so I eased them by giving them each a light stick and a snack (food does wonders). We made a little flashlight campfire and ate Chex Mix. I wondered how my other three kids were faring at their various schools, Cal and Ethan and elementary school and Sommer at Middle.

As the lightning crashed around us I showed the boys how to count until they heard the thunder. We could tell how far away it was (mile per second...or so) with each flash of light/thunder boom. I told them about the times I played on our swing set as a little girl in Wyoming, having to run inside after my mom telling us a storm was approaching. I told them about the day lightning hit my car while traveling 70 mph on a highway and it caused everything in the car to shut down (including the power steering). I told them they were in the car that day.

The storm passed with no harm done to us. The stories continued and we moved ourselves to the main level of our home (a bit more light). The power remained out so we continued our stories (and snacking on chex mix). We waited for Sommer's bus to arrive (it was 45 min late). She finally came home with her tales of having to hide under her desk. The boys arrived home 30 minutes later, full of excitement from the day.

We had more storms later that day but nothing that threatened us. But when I put the little boys to bed they asked about the storms and if by chance they woke up scared at night, they could sleep with me...and I would tell them a story.