Storm Week!

I grew up watching my mom track hurricanes with the weather channel on and a big map spread out on the living room floor. I remember going on after-storm drives to check for damage and the way communities rallied together when someone had a need.

I lost my childhood home in the aftermath of a hurricane. Later, I worked in government disaster relief as a crisis counselor for hurricane survivors. I counseled in rubble, wreckage, schools, streets, broken-down businesses, and spent time with compassion-fatigued first responders. Many years later, I got married wearing Chris’ grandmother’s bracelet on one wrist and a diamond-studded antique bracelet on the other - a piece of hurricane debris gifted to me (specifically to be worn at my wedding) by a woman I had found after the storm.

Cape Town is experiencing some very wild winter weather at the moment. It is nothing close to a hurricane but has impacted thousands of people in our city. The desire in me to help, hold, and hear rises with the floodwaters. Nature has a way of leveling humanity’s playing field and reminding us that we need each other. I’m not in a season where I can give or do much tangibly, but I’m trying to attune my children to the bigger picture like my mom did with me.

I used to make fun of my mom for getting so caught up in the weather. Today, I BEGGED my kids to go outside for a storm stomp. My darling, defiant children would not have it. I managed to convince them to see how full the swimming pool was. It took two minutes for them to get in the arctic water like winter wild things! It was the best fun they ever had for exactly four frigid, squealing minutes. Then there was the equally squeally slip-and-slide our way to the bathtub pandemonium. It was short-lived and hilarious. Maybe their first dip into God’s glorious design for creation involved an extra full swimming pool and debris-covered pool noodles? I’ll take it!