Weathering the Storms....

Not sure what I want to call this one yet? I have been thinking a lot the past few days. Being separated as we are can be difficult, and it becomes easy to get bogged down and looking at the negative. Why are things working out this way? Why this, why that? Why am I having to take care of five sick kids, alone, again? Didn't we just do this?????? Then one little thing happens that snaps your world back in line, and gives you perspective.

Tonight I took dinner to a friend who lost her home and many of her possessions to the tornado on Sunday. She and her family are now staying with her mother. Thankful to be alive, and unharmed. She is holding up amazingly well. I drove by what used to be her house, and the magnitude of what she and her children lived through was almost too much. As a mother you see yourself there, in that moment. Suddenly, for her kids, home went from being a safe haven to this whirling mine field. How do you give that back to your nine year old? When the wind blows and he asks if that is the tornado? How do you teach him to enjoy the breeze again? How do you make home your refuge again, your place of safety? It is amazing the things that suddenly didn't matter. Talking with her, and hearing her recount the longest few minutes of her life, made me realize how fragile it is. She said she heard the noises and looked out her front window in time to see her mailbox being sucked out of the ground and into the debris cloud. She ran, and picked up the baby off the couch and headed to the bathroom, where luckily, her other son had just finished washing his hands. She said before she could get all the way in, the roof was lifted off, and they could see the sky. As quickly as it started, it was over. But so much had changed in just those few seconds. Her home now stood without any windows, and no roof. Much damage to the structure, and her van was also a loss. Neighbors came to make sure they were ok. A man had to help her get her son out,as he was barefoot and there was glass everywhere. Her dog was under some drywall. Cat unseen.(both animals are alive....dog has dislocated rear hip, cat is fine)

In those minutes, what is important becomes abundantly clear. It isn't the plasma tv that now is the resting place of a roof support beam. Or the home furnishings, car, or even home. It is the family who live in it. The memories that no storm can destroy. Taking dinner was such a small thing, meaningless really, but it gave me so much.

Dealing with the kids, the illnesses, the fighting. Worrying about our house...will it sell, can we find a renter if it doesn't? It doesn't matter. My children are not a chore, but a blessing.

I have been blessed with an amazing family. My kids teach me and give me so much everyday. My eleven year old sets the example for me in many ways. He loves to read his scriptures. He listens to primary music as he goes to bed. He also helps me tend to the younger children without complaint (mostly). My daughter is the most beautiful girl in the world, inside and out. She is so nurturing and patient (mostly!). She is very tenderhearted.
Bryce is amazing me in how much he is learning. He has always been inquisitive. He likes to impress us with things he learns and especially things he figures out on his own. He cracks me up with his choice of words sometimes. He too loves to play with the baby. In fact, he keeps telling me when Sam turns two, we wont have a baby anymore, and we should always have a baby.
Drew is growing up right in front of my eyes. I can't believe how big he is. And he always has a smile across his face. He too likes to be a big helper. He loves to hang around with his big sister. Sam is into everything, and learning new words everyday. It is so adorable to hear him string together words. When he gets hungry he will tell me: eat, plate or bite. Often he has no clue what he wants, and by the time we figure it out, he has moved on to something else.
Each of my children are so special. Each of them are a unique piece of our family. Together we all make one cohesive unit. It doesn't matter where our house is, what things we have surrounding us. What matters is that we love one another. That we take home with us, wherever we are. That everyday, we try a little harder and do a little more to make sure we can withstand the storms that come our way.

While some may face a tornado, we may face our storms in a different way. No matter the method, the outcome is the same....we must weather the storm, and come out whole. The value we need to teach our kids is directly related to their value as a Child of God, and a member of an eternal family. Not the value of goods and things, that when exposed to the elements and the storm are worthless. I hope I come out of our storm with a fresh perspective. That I am learning more each day about me, my strengths, my children, and how I can better parent to my children. How I can strengthen my marriage and be a better wife. So no matter how the storm rages, when the winds calm, and the dust settles, my family will still be safe and strong.