we should note, the threat of heavy oaks falling on house and roads leans in with even a tropical storm
With Hurricane (?) Isaac headed toward our beloved Gulf Coast and hatches all battened – whatever that really means!), it’s impossible (despite the lovely current weather) to remain fully focused on my work at hand, so I browsed through some previous hurricane posts. I re-run this one, thinking of how quiet the house is on this day of school cancellation, the others elsewhere now, and the one child left home, 17, fully occupied with college application endeavors of all sorts. But I run this again for all of you moms who deal with daily disruptions in your agendas, both distempering and disheartening. May we all see the glory of God working in our hearts in his cosmic plan-busters!
“Blow winds blow! and crack your cheeks!
RAGE! blow! You cataracts and hurricanos, spout
Till you have drenched our steeples, the clocks….
Crack nature’s molds, all germens spill at once
THAT MAKES INGRATEFUL MAN.” (King Lear, Act 3)
This line from Lear swirled in my head as I began today. Not much time to blog , because the wind is blowing trouble our way. When I heard last night that school had been cancelled for the next two days because of a hurricane that lay some 1000 miles south of us and couldn’t possibly turn into one of the “Big Girls,” I’ll admit — I was just annoyed. I took it as a personal affront to my schedule.
I’ve got lots of work to do this week, God, I pointed out, and now my kids will be home, distracting me. (Yes, I was ignoring the fact that my two teenagers at home are respectful and will not disrupt me while I work! I just wanted the house to myself.) I threw a small temper tantrum in the kitchen, railing against the school gods who make decisions like these, until my 14 year old, in his understated manner, spoke a few gentle words of reprobation, “If I could do anything about it, Mom…” Ouch. It hurt to see how my little fit was raining on his teenage parade of freedom.
And it shut me up. Sent me to the best place to go, my Bible. I discovered Psalm 31, and one verse seemed to say it all: “You have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.” (8) Indeed, with the news of a November hurricane, I was feeling a little pinched. My style was a little cramped. And somehow this verse called me to see that we have lots of ‘wiggle room’ with God. He is good, even in the disruptions he brings. And I began to thank God — that this is a small hurricane, likely a tropical storm by the time it reaches us (we’ve been through big ones), that we live on high ground (and I prayed for all those who do not), that my strong children will be home to help move all the deck furniture inside.
Indeed, “you cataracts and hurricanos spout!” And Jim Cantore, come on down! (If you’re not already on Pensacola Beach:)
