Thursday, June 28, 2012

Day from my life #19130, give or take 24 hrs

I'm having one of those weeks, you know where you have to change your schedule multiple times daily? Today it changed three times before 8 am. So, I pulled out something I wrote last summer and forgot about to give you today since I clearly don't have time for something fresh. It was almost exactly a year ago to the day that all this happened. Enjoy!
          
I have recorded what a day can be like for me, this day was extreme, but days like this can come at anytime and do. (You can read about the first part of the day with the kids first if you want; below is what followed when they all left and I am home alone.)

I turned on the TV to watch the news and started cleaning up all the toys; I didn’t stop until it’s all put away before I head to the shower. I am wore out from this busy day.

8:30pm: I am giving myself an overdue pedicure when I realize the wind seems to be picking up speed quickly. (This proved to be a unprecedented storm July 5, 2011)

It has started to rain and it is blowing sideways! I feel a little frightened because I don’t remember when I have ever heard the wind that loud before. Something slams into the back of the house; then the power goes out! Ok, no need for panic, just find the flash light and some candles and matches.... which are not where they are suppose to be. I use my cell phone as a flash light, calm down and remember where to find things. I send out text messages to all my kids to see if everyone is safe. I don't want to make calls and run my battery down.

One daughter in law calls to say she was driving on the freeway with the baby when the storm hit her, but she is ok now and her phone is going dead. I ask her to please let me know when she makes it home safe, which is 30 miles away and the storm is intense. Everyone has checked in except one daughter.

I’m getting worried about scorpions that come out after dark here and are sometimes chased into the house by rain. I've had one climb up my leg before so I sit in my chair with my feet up off the floor in the candle light. After about an hour, the wind is calming down and the rain has slowed to a sprinkle. I go outside to see if anyone has power on our street. It feels nice outside; it’s getting really hot inside. I’m so tired I just want to go to bed so back inside I lay down in the heat of my bedroom and listened to the quiet.


I wish I could talk with my husband but he is unavailable at work. I thought of all the things I had not done yet on my list for the day. The kitchen cleaned up, the vacuuming, Face Book and emails that weren’t checked. Did I get the mail? I thought about the happy times of the day, the babies and precious grand kids I’ve been blessed with. The first day of school for one grandchild, the first day of a new job for my daughter, the sister of my daughter in law lying in a hospital bed sedated because of the intense pain.

I can’t seem to quiet my mind and I realize I have been too busy for too long; I need a break, not for a few minutes or hours, for a few days. I think about how much it would cost to get away and can we manage it right now. I think again about how quiet it is and how I’ve grown use to the noise of my life, and I’m not sure what to do when I am without all the noise.

My phone receives a text message; a call now would drain my battery completely. Daughter #3 telling me that daughter #2 who had not yet checked in had come home to find their house had been broke into and robbed! The police say it looks like a planned robbery, even took 2 yr olds piggy bank. The house was trashed, lots of valuables taken. “But is everyone ok?” I quickly text back. I start thinking what this means to them, what they have lost. "Everyone is ok" the message comes back. I text other family members what has happened and wait for replies.



It’s 10pm. When is this day going to be over? Suddenly the power comes back on, so I get up and decide to wait up for my husband to get home from his second job, about 11:30. How could I sleep now? I decide to get on the computer while listening to the news on TV to see what happened during the storm. My short lived time out, my moment of silence, was over.

Next morning, I have forgotten about the silence. I am back in the groove, although I am over tired. I send a text message to see how the sister in the hospital is this am; I post an update about it for family on Face Book. I discuss the robbery of daughter #2 with the man of my house. I know that yesterdays events will soon be forgotton and life will once again become routine.

But just now, I feel that silence is whispering to me, “come back, we need to talk. You need to spend time with Me if you are to be what I intended for you to be.” I pause…...yes, that’s true…… but then I see those pots and pans still waiting on the stove for me to wash them. Later, I’ll wash and clean up and then I’ll rest and be quiet, later…….



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3 comments:

  1. It's all about perspective.
    When I am over loaded, I call my sister and quickly get a dose of perspective.

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  2. I'm glad I'm not the only one that hears little voices calling. I've been hearing the waves at the beach call to me for days now... Hope you get some rest.

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  3. UGH what a Day!

    I shudder to think about sitting in the dark worrying about a scorpian crawling up my leg let alone everything else that went on!

    I saw Olga's comment though and it made me chuckle. My sister and I have a B**** and Moan session almost every Sat or Sunday morning on the phone :)

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