Strong Women

This weekend Jon was out of town. He drove to his hometown in Iowa for a memorial service for a friend's brother. That meant that the girls and I were here doing our regular routine. Soccer, violin, Friday night movie night, tornado warnings...

Tornado Warnings!?! Yes. Saturday night we had Thunderstorm Warnings and Tornado Warnings. Now, I do not like Tornado Warnings. I have a healthy fear of tornadoes. When I was 10, a tornado ripped through Omaha and came within a couple of miles of our house. My dad was still at work and I was worried sick about him. The sky was green, it was pouring down rain, then it started hailing and the trees were blowing sideways. I have never forgotten it. After that, I kept a map of Nebraska counties in the basement so I could follow where storms were going.

When the sirens went off on Saturday I went up and got the girls from the living room. They had made a fort up there. Jamie was already asleep so I carried her downstairs. We opened up a sleeping bag on the floor and covered up with SpongeBob blankets. We had the tv on so we could see what was happening.

Saturday night they were being very specific about where the danger was. There were spotters out all over the area. They would call in reporting wall clouds and possible funnel clouds. They could be very specific. 180th & Harrison. "If you are in the following neighborhoods, you should take shelter immediately..." So far, these were very far west of us.

By now, Maddie was crying. We all snuggled closer and I assured her that it was far away from us. I was reassuring her AND myself. They were showing views from different cameras around the city. Then they showed an 'area of interest'. When the lightning lit up, you could see a wall cloud and a funnel starting to come down. This was near Irvington. Only a couple of miles from our house.

Maddie knows this. She starts to cry. "I wish Daddy was here!" "It's okay, honey. We'll be fine. Mommy is here." "But I still wish Daddy was here!" "I know- that would be good, but since he isn't, we can be strong and brave. We can be STRONG WOMEN."

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how I can get the futon mattress over us if it comes to that. Adrenaline, right? Dang it! I wish Jon was here! "I wish Daddy was here!" "I know, honey. But what's wrong with Mommy? I am a strong woman- I'll keep you safe!" Then Jamie chimes in for the first time, "But Daddy is a man! He is bigger and stronger!" "Yes, you are right, but for now, we will just have to be STRONG WOMEN together."

After about a half hour, the danger passed. Everyone settles down and we can go to sleep. A tornado did actually touch down way west of us but there was minimal damage. Whew. I was tired of being a strong woman.