Hurricanes

Hurricanes!

You watch them forming in the distance.

Then it dawns on you that your home is in the "cone of possibilities" for the route of the hurricane. You begin to plan everything around, "if the hurricane hits in a few days."

Then the day comes when work stops.

Grocery stores are full of people gathering water and food.

You go through the checklist of things to do and to check.

Neighbors help one another put up the metal shutters over windows.

You go inside to a dark house, wishing the hurricane panels were transparent.

You watch the news.

You wait.

It comes and you hope the power doesn't go out because everyone is passing the time watching television.

The power goes out -- for hours.

Sometimes the wind picks up. You listen to the rain. Occasionally you look outside to see how bad the water is rising.

Mostly you wait.

I've been through so many, of these things.

Then the earth gets quite. The sun comes out. The rain stops. And the inventory begins.

A neighbor's tree is down.

A few shingles are missing next door.

My yard is full of palm branches.

I drive to the church -- it is part of the routine for these storms, and it is also part of the routine for my wife to ask, "don't you think it is a little too early to go out?"

The church is fine -- just a soggy classroom or two.

Pity -- the organ is high and dry. A little insurance money to replace that monstrosity would have been a gift from heaven :)

Well, time to clean up before the next one comes.