O Ye of Little Faith

These are my neighbors.  I don't know any of their names.

Thursday, October 6 - The media and elected officials told us to prepare. Matthew was coming.

Brookdale Mandarin, the Assisted Living Facility that is home to our mother, ensured us of a generator, water, and any medical help required,  With our mother's agreement, my family and I determined that Brookdale was the best place for her.

In fact, my children thought I should go and stay with her rather than in my home.

Friday, October 7 -  We watched and waited.  Newscasters told us of winds, rain, bridges. The mayor and the governor warned us. And by and by, the wind and the rain were here.

I heard a crash around 3:30 and looked out my back door to see that a couple of trees had landed on my deck.  I was not the least bit concerned.

Nightfall came, the wind and rain continued.  I never lost power. Two filing projects that  had plagued me for weeks were completed. I also finished reading one book and started another.

You might say I was quite confident at daybreak and remained that way as the sun began to fill the sky. Assessing the damage, I noted that no elves had come to remove the trees or repair the rail. Still shattered - with branches, leaves, and vines adorning the well-weathered wood   And that's in the back of my house.

The front was not that different.  Leaves, branches, and trees were on the ground.  And across Paddle Boat Lane.  There would be no leaving anytime soon.

My cell phone rang.

A nurse at Brookdale Mandarin told me that my mother had fallen during the night but that she was okay.  There was an issue at Brookdale, however.  They had no power.

Panic.

Both my brother and I telephoned and talked with mother's suite mat, Sally. They are an interesting pair. My mother's issue is hearing, and hers is sight.  Sally told us that mother was fine.

My children were not content with that information.  I learned that my son was on his way over there.

And then I heard it.

Chain saws.

And I saw it.  Smiling neighbors with rakes and garbage bags.

It was what we used to call a Kodak moment.

I wasted no time taking my leave.  I later told them why I left without helping.

So do you get why I am feeling a bit chastised this morning?

I'm  not sure my children believed that either me or my mother were going to be okay during the storm and I KNOW that I never dreamed that my exit out of my development would be passable that quickly.

And how many times have I asked myself if she would have fallen if I had been there?  Never mind the fact that the fall was very minor and that she is not hurt!

And how about the guilt I feel that I didn't help when my neighbors were clearing the way.

Hum - me - the writer who touts herself as a person of FAITH.

Did I learn my lesson?

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadows