LESSON TEN

Objective

Make the best of it.

Example

The Earth had some party Friday...trees uprooted and tossed, carports and barns crumpled, leaves plastered to walls and screens like confetti. It was a combination frat, bachelors, and New Years party out there.
We emerged blinking to find snapping turtles blown up into the yard, our old fruit trees from the original homestead toppled, and the ancient cedar that shades our front porch had snapped in half and just missed the house. The children came home safely on the bus with stories of hours spent in the dark in 'duck and cover' position while the sirens blared, and the world went shrieking and howling by outside.
We were all so stunned and glad to be okay that the damage and losses mattered much less than all just being together. Besides there was no time to grieve over a few trees. Our neighbors had caught the brunt of it with huge trees blocking their way into their homes and bringing down electric cattle fences.
Here in the rural world (pun intended) women often take on male roles. And after a natural disaster there is so much work to be done, it isn't hard to feel manly.

A day of chainsaws, storm tossed snakes, and cow crap will do that for a girl.

The electricity was out so the kids and I dragged a blanket outside and fired up the grill (we're out of propane so it was charcoal briquets for us, we were really roughing it). I did dogs for the neighborhood and then we tucked into some smores.
Now a mom might have a problem with smore coated children and no running water, but not me...not Momdad..I just put them where I wanted them and they stuck.
The sun went down, the moon came up, just like normal...but we really saw it without the wii, and the tv, and well, any lights or distractions. Fireflies did their jig, owls hooted, frogs...frogged, and we got to watch it all from where we sat stuck in marshmallows.
Inside we built a tent in the living room using sheets. I tossed the futon pad on the floor for the kiddles and me. The teenager dragged her mattress and all her blankets out so she could sleep like a princess. We made shadow puppets with our flashlights and told stories around the candles, and when the lights came on...we got up and turned them off again. And then we slept like, well...like children, in a tangle of legs, and child breath, and togetherness, with the night coming in through the open window.

Homework

Work hard together helping someone else. Celebrate afterward.

Extra Credit

Be glad to be alive.