Yesterday, since it was New Year's Eve we stayed at home to relax and watch some television. Suddenly, emergency weather warnings appeared on television sets all across Missouri.
St. Louis seemed to be right in the path of numerous tornadoes!
Ironically, our oldest son, Jayson was recently hired by The National Weather Service. It is his dream job, and has been his most reverent goal since he was barely six years old. Jayson literally knew almost from his first day of kindergarten that he wanted to be a 'weatherman.' He never changed his mind.
Unfortunately, Jayson hadn't started his new job yet. Instead, he was working at a temporary position where he sold custom suits from a store within a retail strip-mall. Upon watching the path of storms and possible tornadoes, we called Jayson on his cell phone. We needed to warn him of the impending danger. If he had been home, he would have been glued to his computer, taking delight in studying the various graphs and weather patterns.
"Jay, you'd better take cover. Tornadoes may be headed right for you!" Gary shouted into the phone. "Our lights just went out," Jayson replied. "I can't see anything."
Gary told him to grab his dog, Nimbus, together with his food and head for the safest place in his building: a metal desk near the center of the store. We kept contact with him by phone and soon heard noisy whooshes of wind gusts, debris cashing to the floor, and the proverbial sound of an approaching 'freight train.'
"It's coming Dad," Jayson said. Not surprisingly, his voice was filled more with concerned excitement, rather than worry. He was not afraid. Soon his phone line went dead. We could do nothing but wait. In the interim, we called our youngest son, Justin to take cover. The dreadful weather was headed his way too.
About ten minutes later Jayson was able to call us back. He was fine, but shocked by what surrounded him. He described the strong smell of gas, and his storefront windows that had seemingly exploded. Shards of broken glass littered the outside pavement. Scattered directly across the street (mere yards from where he stood) were mounds of heaping wood and numerous piles of debris. Homes that stately stood erect only a few minutes earlier, were now gone. Jayson described families who literally rose from their respective basement stairways only to discover a home that no longer existed."It looks like a war zone," Jayson told us.
Jayson's own parking lot was now full of downed fir, oak and maple trees; overturned cars and trucks; twisted metal signs and shattered glass. His 2010 rental car (newly acquired since his accident only ten days earlier) sat upright, but was profoundly damaged. Incredulously, nature's random path of the tornado spared him. If his store had been on the other side of the street, I shudder to think of what might have happened to him. His dwelling had no basement. Instead, my son, the newly graduated meteorologist had just survived the devastation of an F-3 (on a scale of 0-5) tornado with estimated 170 mile per hour winds. Ironically, Jayson was directly in the heart of it!
As I look back on 2010, it seems it was one of the worst I can ever remember living through. I am glad for the new year to finally be here! Great hope for the future in 2011 is not wasted upon me. Last year is one I don't ever wish to repeat in quite the same way.
For example, last January I endured painful shoulder surgery. In February my younger son's fiancee broke off their engagement (hurting him and worrying me). I learned in May (near Mother's Day), the devastating news of my mother's lung cancer diagnosis. In late July I fell off a horse named 'Monster.' From his given name I should have known better before I saddled up! I fell seven feet to the ground, flat on my back: breaking a rib and compressing two discs in my spine.
In the middle of November I became Mom's caretaker until she sadly passed away a few days before Thanksgiving. Just before Christmas, on December 21st, Jayson was in a terrible car accident. And, finally, (yesterday) the very last day of the year, Jayson lived through the midst of a devastating tornado! Later, I learned that Justin had a horrible asthma attack. His asthma has been in remission for a few years, so he hasn't filled his inhaler prescriptions in quite some time. By the grace of God he found an old 'rescue' inhaler while frantically rummaging through his drawers. The use of it allowed him to breathe again: our most precious commodity.
The above seems more like the trappings of an impossible novel than that of my real life! Still, when all is said and done I am grateful. Grateful for the glimpses of goodness I find veiled throughout 2010. Although I lost my dear mother during this last year, I know in my heart and soul that she is forever with me. I see her throughout the many facets of my life: good and bad.
One can always look at the glass half-empty or half-full. I prefer to think of the 'many glasses' I have lived through during 2010 as half-full. To that end, I did survive all of last year's adversity. Together with my husband and my two sons, we are all happy and alive. Is there anything more important? I think not.
Not so long ago, upon my mother's passing, I prayed for her to watch over my two boys. I asked God to hold Mom lovingly in His arms and allow her to be their guardian angel. I have no doubt that He has answered my prayers. My mother is watching over both of them: perhaps sitting upon their shoulders with a smile. I am sure of it.
Happy 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment