One Day, Three Entries

The wishful, hopeful version of what SHOULD have happened:

Monday September 28th: my morning is all planned out!

5:30 am - exercise, personal study, make breakfast, read scriptures with kids, shower, get the little boys fed and dressed, other kids off to school, make it to the case lot sale at Broulims by 8am sharp with my cash and list all ready.



The vague, male voice version of the morning:

Monday, September 28th: my morning didn't go as I had planned but I still managed to get to the case lot sale.

The really long, sarcastic, female voice, venting version of what actually happened:

Monday September 28th: my life is chaos!

6:15 am - I realized that during one of the 3 times that I was up during the night (LeRoy needing a pain killer and food to prevent a sick stomach, the dumb cat that someone forgot to put out, and Bob who thinks that LeRoy should be well enough just 1 week after back surgery to pick him up off the floor {and if you don't know that story, well, I'm trying to be nice so I'm not allowed to talk about it!}) anyway . . . I realized that I must have turned my alarm clock off. So . . .

No exercise, no personal study, cold cereal for breakfast, we did manage to read scriptures.

7:10 - LeRoy hobbles his way out the door, a little woozy from the wonderful drugs he is taking, to go 2 blocks away to discuss plans for a remodel

7:15 - Just as I am attempting to get in the shower (because I WILL make it to the case lot sale before the insanely long, time consuming line that is sure to happen on the first day) LeRoy calls to inform me that he has run out of gas

7:20 - I yell at Erika for once again taking my flip flops and leaving them at the neighbors house (niceness set aside: I HATE it when she takes my shoes! If they ever enter the house again they are covered in mud and goat heads and usually look like they have some bloody, infectious scum on them because she always has cuts on her feet which she will not take care of. Usually, I see my shoes on the neighbor girls feet because they assume that they are Erika's and those girls share everything. Call me a little OCD but, whatever, don't wear my flip flops! pick up nice again)

7:25 - I grab my gardening flip flops, which are literally covered in goat heads and are soaking wet having been left to close to the sprinkler which ran during the early morning hours, and the gas can which I am hoping has enough gas in it to get LeRoy to the Shell station to fill up.

7:30 - while the rest of Hibbard heads into town to school and work, they pass me: barefoot and bra-less, holding the gas can up to fill LeRoy's truck while he stands there with his hands in his pockets, totally embarrassed that his wife has to lift the gas can for him. I'm no newbie to bare feet and it wouldn't have been such a big deal if it hadn't been so stinkin cold but there I was standing on a newly paved street with tar and freshly laid rocks sticking in my freezing feet.

I had to accept the fact that I was most likely going to be standing in line at Broulims, in the cold, with my boys, Forever! Setting my owns plans aside (finally, I know) I followed LeRoy in to (I thought) the Shell station to fill up his truck, my Yukon (since my fuel light had also just come on) and the gas can. Silly me, I married a Maverik man. So now I find myself directly across the street from Broulims - a new plan formulating in my mind. Still barefoot and without a bra, I fill up the gas can and the 2 vehicles, scoot the gas can across the truck tailgate into the bed causing the gas to slosh around with nowhere to go but out that stupid little tiny air hole. To add insult to injury, my arm is now covered in gasoline and I reek. LeRoy apologizes, while helping me pick the goat heads out of my garden flip flops, frustrated that he has to have his wife do everything for him. I present my new plan.

LeRoy headed home to keep the boys while I went to Broulims. After a couple of shloshy steps I gave up on the wet flip flops (not wanting to draw any unneccessary attention to myself) and immediately headed to the bathroom to "freshen up". What I saw in the mirror above the sink was so horrifying that it became hilarious. I can't believe I entered a public facility looking like that! I took stock of my present situation and realized how far off it was from my expectation for that particular morning: no cash, no list, no shoes, no bra, reeking of gasoline, hair ratted and oily, with dark circles under my eyes both from lack of sleep and the makeup that I didn't take off the night before. But I had made it to my ultimate goal of the morning: the case lot sale.

Luckily, I keep an extra credit card in the Yukon for emergencies (this was not the emergency I had in mind when I put it there but it still qualified) so I marched (need I say again, barefoot and bra-less) to the checkout stands, picked up a list and pen, filled it out, paid, and stood outside in line for 45 minutes with my feet still freezing, folding my arms to avoid the obvious issue that pops up when standing in a cold breeze without a bra.

As I pulled out of the parking lot I did have a moment of gratitude in my otherwise frustrated heart. I was done. Not in the way I had planned it but I still got the important things done for the morning. When I got home I took an extra long shower then treated myself to the joy of filling my storage shelves.

Puberty: Hair It Comes

It began as a tri-weekly boys activity for LeRoy, Nathan and Hyrum to all stand at the bathroom mirror (Nathan and Hyrum on the counter) for a little hair razing. During one of their scavenger hunts through our bathroom drawers and cupboards the little boys discovered LeRoy's old electric razors. Ever since then they have shaved faithfully morning, mid-day, noon, afternoon and evening. I can usually tell where the boys are by the humming that buzzes from their lips as they imitate a big boys world using their "shavers".

I don't know what it is about my boys and facial/body hair but Derek also had a fascination with it at age three. One evening when I pulled his shirt off for his bath I noticed little 1/4 inch to 1 inch marks all over his chest and into his armpits and as I took off his pants there were the same little marks all over his legs. My immediate assumption was that Erika had worked her artful magic on Derek. From the time she could pick up a pencil, pen, crayon, marker or any other writing tool, she had been creating art on walls, blankets, cupboards, tables, clothes and her body. I figured she needed a new medium and had chosen to use her brother.

Derek's response not only proved me wrong but had me laughing to tears and has since stood as one of the great Derek stories in our family history.

"Who wrote all over your body Derek?"

"Nobody."

"Then what are all of these pen marks from."

"I got hair like Daddy."

Our further conversation revealed Derek's desire to be "big like Dad" which, in his three year old mind, meant pit hair, chest hair and leg hair (luckily his hairy desire stopped there).

This manly fetish didn't stop when he turned four. Oh no, he is still waiting for pit and chest hair. When Levi was about 13 and complaining of his arm pits itching we reviewed why that would be only to discover that he indeed had stubble coming in. Derek (at age 8) whined in jealousy, "when can I get pit hair".

In preparation for this silly post I asked Derek if he remembers his past fascination with body hair to which he disgustingly replied, "yes, and I still don't have any pit hair", followed up with a bragging "but I think I might need to start shaving my mustache soon". Evidently puberty is the reverse for him what it was for Levi. From age 12 to age 13 Derek gained 3 inches and is currently the tallest member of our family (even taller than LeRoy), but stubble he has not. Levi waited until age 17 to have any kind of growth spurt but was shaving around age 13. The grass is always greener . . . or the hair is always fuller.

And now you have just been exposed to the puberty secrets of the Edwards boys. It may begin physically around age 13 but mentally it hits them at 3.

Toddlers in Toyland

One thing that I learned from my parents is "good things come to those who wait". This past week our waiting paid off!

We received a call for LeRoy to do some work for a couple that just moved up from California. While he was talking with the homeowner LeRoy found out that they do not have any kids at home so he jokingly asked, "so do you and your wife go out to play in the fort and swing". The homeowner told him that they were actually looking to get rid of it because all of the neighbor kids were coming over to play and they were worried about someone getting hurt and the liability issues that could come from that and they wanted to use the space for a garden. Well, we were ready to take it off their hands!

We by far got the better end of the deal! After a couple of hours of basic electrical work our pay came in the form of a very expensive play area. Yeah, I'd say we scored big on this job!

It took a small army of teenagers, a nearly crippled LeRoy to supervise (and do far more lifting than he should have done), my buff physique, and a couple of hours for us to remove a few bolts, make two trips across a field and 4 more street miles, leveling, reinforcing each screw due to the shifting of travel and 9 ten and under patient cheerleaders to get it all done. We now know that it will hold (all at the same time): 1 adult, 1 eighteen year old, 1 seventeen year old, 1 thirteen year old and 4 ten year olds. AND it withstood the ferocious wind storm that blustered through yesterday. Yeah!!! No more trips to the park for a while!

I Love to See the Temple

A few weeks ago we had family home evening on the temple grounds. We had a short lesson and scripture thought but mostly we sang. I focused on teaching/reviewing the songs I Love to See the Temple and My Life is a Gift. When I was in the primary presidency several years ago I had put together a booklet to help teach them in primary with pictures that went along with the words.

Nathan now thinks those booklets are his. He packs them around and even requests (or demands) that we use them as part of his "school" every day. I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the first verse to I Love to See the Temple and I was shocked when he started singing the second one without any prompting from me. He must have picked up the second verse while listening to the CD that I put on every morning while they eat breakfast.

At first I was always singing it with him but once he was confident that he had it down he started singing it on his own. It was then that I realized that he has changed the end phrase based on his limited vocabulary. Once I really listened to it I realized the importance of this message that comes from a three year old ( and that I need to be a little more clear when I teach).

It should be: I'll prepare myself while I am young, this is my sacred duty

Nathan sings: I'll repair myself while I am young, this is my sacred beauty

What a great thought!

When we had our evening at the temple we ended our family night with a walk around the grounds. Now Nathan thinks that it should be a daily thing. I had started to drive up there to walk around the temple for exercise (since all of our area is just flat and up there at least 3 sides of the temple are uphill . . . no kidding!) and after our family night Nathan started to get upset when I would go up there alone. Now it is our Sunday afternoon activity to walk around the temple at least once. Not everyone goes up, I leave that choice up to them, but Nathan and I are always there.

Nathan seems to always find something amazing while we are there. The first time it was a little bat stuck on the wall by the front doors. It was curled up sleeping and Nathan insisted it was Stellaluna. The next time it was the humming birds in the flowers. Another time it was a particular plant that he found fascinating. The week he discovered Moroni on the top he found a new hero (the trumpet man on the temple).

On one Sunday it just wasn't working out that we could get there and as I tried to get Nathan ready for bed he refused, insisting that we had to go to the temple. I couldn't deny his request! I don't ever want him to see me set aside the temple for something else. So at 8pm Nathan and I went on our walk. Because it was later than we have ever been there the lights were all on. That was the spectacular thing for that trip. He stood for a minute just looking around and finally said "that is so pretty mom". For me, the wonderful thing that day was holding hands with my three year old who is so willing to learn the gospel, and who is helping me to learn to live the gospel, to have a quiet, peaceful walk encompassed by a warm loving feeling that I know was our Heavenly Father smiling down on two of his children.

I hope Nathan will always have wonderful memories of the temple and will continue to have a strong desire to go there. I feel so blessed to have him in my life to keep me focused on the temple and all it represents at a time in our family when it seems that everyone is going their own direction.

School Year 2009-2010

The first day of school went smooth on the surface but the underlying emotions were obvious to me, the mom coordinating the schedule. I was up not so bright but very early at 5:30 to have my own personal time, to get breakfast made and to shower before 6:30 when it was time to get the kids up for scriptures. I had actually laid there in bed for 1/2 hour after hearing Erika get up at 5:00. She had taken all of her beauty stuff out to the shed and was meeting up with Bri to do hair and makeup out there (their own idea so that the early morning giggling wouldn't wake the rest of us up and so that all the hairspray wouldn't kill the rest of us, how thoughtful!). The first day of school is like a whole new first impression and they weren't going to miss the opportunity to absolutely wow the entire high school on their first big day there.

As I was getting breakfast together I heard the shower downstairs and by 6:20 Derek and Justin appeared. Evidently, they didn't get to sleep until about 4:30 and woke up just before 6:00. The excitement left them sleepless, which kind of shows in their pictures.

I practically had to dump Levi out of his bed as he covered his head and whined, "Can I stay home today?". Really? On the first day of school? His sorrow comes not only from teenage dislike for school and getting up early but he is leaving his girlfriend behind since she graduated last year so his heart just couldn't fathom getting up and continuing on without her. Still, he managed to pull himself together.

My yearly tradition was broken this year as I let go of my own expectation of having a picture with all the kids together and just took individual pictures of them as they left.

Derek - 13, 8th grade
He sprayed on enough body spray to leave a cloud in the basement. Hopefully, a little of it wore off as he walked to the bus. This is also the first time I haven't had to tell him to shower or brush his teeth. What power a little crush can have over a guy!

Justin - 10, 5th grade
Looking a little sleepy with only a couple hours of rest! Excitement conquered drowsiness and his school expectations were exceeded. He was very happy to know at least one person in the class before he left that morning and when he got home he was thrilled to announce that they get to sit by each other.

Levi - 17 (and a half!), 12th grade
He wouldn't let me take his picture so I gave him a mommy's right lecture on how this was his last year, I've had a picture every year for 11 years and he won't even be around next year. He rolled his eyes. I took a picture anyway and this is what I got.

Erika Jo - 15 (16 in 2 months!!!), 10th grade
Erika and Bri managed to miss the bus 'cause 3 hours just isn't long enough for Bri to straighten out her naturally curly hair and Erika to curl her straighter than straight that will never hold a curl hair. As I told Erika I needed her picture she just stood on the porch and gave me a quick "hurry mom, the boys are waiting" smile.

Nathan - 3
He was determined to have school so he packed his backpack and after everyone left we walked around the block, did a couple of pages out of his workbook (that had to be purchased at the same time that everyone else was getting school supplies) and had a snack.

Hyrum - 1
With a phone like Levi and a backpack like the other boys, Hyrum was content to wait for the bus. Then Derek left and he started to cry, Justin took the backpack away and he cried even harder, and he didn't stop until we were on our walk around the block. Sometimes it's tough to be the youngest.

For a scroll down blogger lane, and to reminisce through pictures about the old days and how fast they have grown up, I went back to this post: Another School Year Begins

What a big year this is! Levi will graduate, Erika will start dating, Derek is already showing signs of liking girls instead of gagging at the thought of them, Justin moves to the middle school and starts orchestra, after 11 years I don't have a kid in elementary school, I don't have someone on the Monday early out schedule, I have 8 full hours free of teenagers.

That sounds a little harsh but, in my defense, you must realize that I did not only have my 4 older kids home for the summer I had all their friends too! Don't get me wrong, it is just what I want so that I know where my kids are, who they are hanging out with and what they are doing but darn it life sure gets loud and crazy when I'm running my own Jr. High for the summer and the food budget is stretched to the point of plain tortillas to snack on.

In the 7 wonderful days since school started the little boys and I have enjoyed the teen free time so much that we seem to have our own little club. (I'm tempted to put a sign on the door "No Teens Allowed".) It is so nice for the little boys to have one on one, uninterrupted time with mom. We have the freedom to watch Letter Factory without complaints from those who want to watch Hannah Montana and naptime can go on in complete peace and quiet as long as the boys want . Heck, I might take a nap now and then! We've also started our own little preschool of sorts full of colors, shapes, numbers, letters and lots of singing.

The older kids also seem to love the new schedule with 8 glorious hours without mom. Really, I don't believe that's it, just that they thrive on the 5 minute social time that comes every 55 minutes. After the first couple of days of school I asked how things were going with each kid, how they like their teachers and their classes, and I got responses like "it's totally freakin' awesome", "my teacher pretty much rocks", "welding and graphic arts will be cake".

I wish those kinds of attitudes could continue through the whole year but realistically I'm hoping to make it to Thanksgiving before the blahs of school reality set in. Then the holidays can boost us to spring and we will be on the downhill slope to a full summer with a full house of kids. Such is the cycle of my life.

Kimber's Kitchen

49 jars of peaches

28 jars of apricot syrup

24 jars chokecherry syrup

2 more boxes of peaches coming

2 boxes of pears coming

1 very sticky floor

~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that school has started, and the mornings are a bit nippy again, I try to have a hot breakfast ready on school mornings and save cold cereal for the weekends. (The kids actually got so tired of cold cereal during the summer that one morning I woke up to the smell of pancakes because Derek had decided to take breakfast matters into his own hands.) Having a variety seems to be a challenge. Having it be somewhat healthy is an even tougher challenge. Pleasing everyone is nearly impossible. However, I think I have created something that could possibly make everyone happy:

KHOP

Yup, Kimber's House of Pancakes. I have pulled out some recipes that I had tried last year, offered with a variety of homemade syrups (maple, apricot, chokecherry, cinnamon) and everyone seems happy. I have had more thank you's during the past couple of weeks than I probably deserve after being so lazy about mornings all summer long. Unfortunately, drowning breakfast in a thick syrup is not the healthiest option we could come up with so I try to sneak in a bit of good-for-you-ness into the item they are drowning. Could it really be much worse than a bowl of sugar and milk?

Here are the morning menu options:

(There is no choosing from the menu, though I will take suggestions. If they don't like what is served today, they can wait until tomorrow)

Pancakes

Plain

Blueberry

Pumpkin

Zucchini

(which they actually really love)

Banana

Oatmeal

(yes, those are oatmeal pancakes and I haven't told them they are oatmeal pancakes)

French Toast

Fluffy White

A Little Healthier Whole Wheat

Stuffed

(cream cheese with bananas or strawberries)

Raisin and Cinnamon

Other:

Waffles

(in same variety as pancakes)

Popeye Pancakes

(also known as German pancakes)

Peach Cobbler

(my mom's fault for starting the tradition, and no, they don't put syrup on it)

Breakfast Burritos

(tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, and whatever else I throw in with them)

Rice Pudding

(once again, mom's fault, but sure yummy on a cold morning)

Muffins and Eggs

(with an endless choice of muffins depending on what I have on hand)

Turkey Sausage and Egg on an English Muffin

(great for the hectic grab and go mornings)

Peaches and Cream

(only served during canning season)

And just like the sister kitchen IHOP, I also have a lunch and dinner menu. Breakfast is always an option for dinner depending on the cooks mood with waffles and ice cream being one particular favorite.

~~~~~~~~~~

Did you know that August 8th is national sneak some zucchini on your neighbors porch day? Well, it is, my neighbors did and I'm confused as to why they thought I would need it when I obviously have 2 plants of my own that are currently providing enough to nearly end world hunger. I have a secret for all of you that don't know what to do with those over sized green beasts that you should have picked yesterday because overnight they quadrupled in size: let the kids carve them into boats and float them down the river. You'd think the cub scout program could have come up with Zucchini Derby instead of those wooden derby's that 8 year old don't really have the tools or skills to carve. Instead, it was introduced by a mother desperate to entertain her kids and even more desperate to get rid of all that zucchini.

With the appropriate sized zucchini, that has not gone tough, woody and dry, there is a plethora of recipes out there. Our favorites are bread and pancakes which each take 1 cup for their recipe.

Justin appointed himself as the zucchini master grater for this years freezer supply.

We have 22 one cup baggies ready for our breaded pleasure

And more zucchini growing on those dumb plants

And my neighbor still sends them over with her son.

August 8th is GONE woman!

Car Wars

Not a battle between good and evil but a cruncher of big and little.

On the damage scale the suburban scored: light damage

the car: totaled

Participants: all doing very well, no hospital visits, just a little shaken and sore.

Erika and I were on our way to Idaho Falls (for me to have Lasik surgery) and about 15 minutes from the surgical center we came upon 3 ducks in the road. Erika was already slowing down for the stop sign ahead so slowed even more for the ducks which we did happen to miss even tho' a rather large, stubborn, ruffled duck stuck out his wings, planted his webbed feet and tried to play chicken with us. About 5 seconds after granting that lucky duck his life we felt and heard a thud which resembled the feel and sound of the bumper cars at Lagoon. I immediately recognized what it was as my memory flashed back to 1994 when I was rear ended in Logan, Utah.

We pulled over to the side, a garbage man around the corner pulled over and directed traffic around the car that had hit us and we sat for a minute to evaluate what had just happened. Erika was worried that it was her fault so it took a little explaining to convince her that she had done nothing wrong and that it really was an accident. She was also worried because she doesn't even have her license yet, just a permit. The garbage man (who must be key on noticing garbage) pointed out that there were english muffins all over the road. No wonder that duck was so determined. He was not just hovering over a morsel of food, he was protecting a days worth of food.

The driver of the other car got out and was in the process of getting a screaming baby out of the car when we approached her. The baby reached out for Erika and as soon as she was in Erika's arms she laid her head on Erika's shoulder and calmed down. As we shared our personal versions of the same experience my heart really went out to this lady. My day (and vehicle) were only inconvenienced but this was really going to hold a tough day number one spot for her.

The driver was Janna. She had her 17 month old granddaughter and 70 year old mother with her. She was on her way to take her mother to a nursing home for the day because the mother has Alzheimer's and the nursing home takes her a couple of days a week. As they were driving down the road Janna asked her mom if she remembered who lived in the house they were coming up on. Her mom replied that "yes, that is where Ruth lives. We used to quilt and do canning together". Janna was so excited that her mom was having a clear, real memory that she lost her driving concentration and hit us. I felt so bad that a good moment with her mom was now be tainted with the accident. Janna also commented through her tears, "it's one of those times that I want my mom. She is right here, and yet she isn't".

Janna called her dad to come and get them (it was his car that she was driving). She answered the Onstar lady, the officer came, we showed all of our paperwork and the report was written up. In the end we all shared hugs and were on our way. And it was only 10:30 am.

The day following the accident Erika saw her drivers ed teacher. She told him what had happened and he chewed her out. Evidently, the joke of the class was "if it's a small animal hit it, unless it is a skunk". To any future ducks out there: you better duck cause she's not slowing down next time.

Levi is a Senior!

Levi got his braces off on July 21st. I wanted to do before and after pictures but he WILL NOT look at a camera for me. Between Caytlyn and I we were able to sneak a couple of shots with our cell phones but most of them were just glares. After they were off there was no way he we could get him to smile for us. Probably because it was new to him and he doesn't like to be the center of so much attention. Even though all we get are glimpses, we all adore his metal free smile.

It wasn't until I saw his senior pictures that I could just adore his new look. As it started to sink in that he is really a senior and that at this time next year he might not live here and I won't know where he is at all times I got all teared up wondering where the last 18 years went and how my tender little boy turned into a rock star.

You can view all of Levi's pictures at Levi's Senior Pictures or go to our photographers website at MJ Ray Photography.

Michelle (the photographer) is AWESOME! She was great to work with on a tight schedule, took us to several places to get a variety of shots and was a hoot to hang around with for the morning. So all you local people wanting something besides the standard blue background for your kids school pictures or if you want family pictures for Christmas cards . . . here you go. Her info is all on her website.

"It Tickles"

That was Justin's only comment when getting his cast cut off.

August 6th

As the nurse pulled the cast off we saw how pale and dirty his arm really was. He spent the rest of the afternoon flaking off old skin, washing off 7 weeks of hidden dirt and carefully bending his wrist. He was still quite tender for a couple of days and had a blister at the base of his thumb that was sore. He's a little nervous about doing gymnastics but is getting ready for class to start next week by stretching his wrist to loosen it up and hopefully will have the necessary flexibility to be his bounding self again.

Healing Storms

mother nature is frustrated, fuming, furious

the rain is

pelting, pounding, puncturing, pouring

while the wind

whips and lashes, ripping a path of destruction

thunder breaks in shouting a

pounding, grumbling, booming

prelude to the lightning that

slashes, slices, and stabs as it bridges earth and sky

it was a violent, magnificent storm

~~~~~

the sky calms
the clouds clear
the heat subsides
the earth is clean

earth and nature breathe in harmony

~~~~~

a full moon
a scent of rain
a perfect temperature
the first hour of the morning

mother and daughter
barefoot, wrapped in blankets, hair blowing gently in the breeze
walking, talking, laughing, thinking, forgiving

it was a glimpse of eternal joy

August 7, 2009

There was a terrible storm today. It was a beautiful, hot summer afternoon that was interrupted by wind ripping shingles off, the rain pounding so hard that it destroyed garden plants and the thunder was violent enough that when the lighting struck it shook the house. It really only lasted about 30 minutes but it left an impression both on the earth and in my mind.

Later that evening Erika and I had our own storm. There were angry words spoken, old wounds brought up and feelings hurt. I had an empty guilty feeling as we went our own ways, avoiding each other.

I was locking the house up for the night, turning out all the lights, when I realized it was a full moon. I love nights with a full moon. Especially following a rain storm. I stepped out on the porch to look at the moon and found that the nighttime air had a clean, quiet, sleeping feeling to it. The earlier storm came to my mind. I thought of forgiveness. How the earth felt cleansed after the storm. I wanted that for Erika and I.

Knowing that Erika loves rain storms and late night walks I went to her room to suggest that we go outside. It was not premeditated with an agenda, I didn't even know what I planned on saying. I acted on impulse only wanting to erase the storm we had created.

"Erika, are you awake?"

"Huh?"

"Come look at the moon and the sky."

After a few grunts I left her room and went to my own, not wanting to annoy her further. A few minutes later I heard her door open and she came to me.

"Do you want to go for a walk around the block?" I asked.

"Yeah."

We bundled up and went outside. We were both quiet to begin with but after a few weather related comments we gradually started talking, apologizing and letting go of the hurt. After our walk we stopped at the front door and lovingly said goodnight to each other. It was a much better ending to our day than what we had left it at earlier.

As I went to bed I started thinking of the parallels between the two storms. Neither one of them lasted very long but they were a huge interruption to the day. I laid in bed with words coming to mind that expressed how I had felt through both storms and through the cleansing and healing turn of events that followed. I didn't want to forget the lesson in the day so rather than hoping I would remember the next morning what had been going through my mind I got up and typed it.