Thursday, August 25, 2011

Tornado warnings and bowling angels

Since returning from our road trip back home, we have experienced aftershock tremors from an earthquake in Virginia...and now a wicked thunderstorm and tornado warning last night. Normally I am a big fan of lightening and thunder storms...not the damage they may cause...but the sheer power of them. I love watching the sky light up and hearing the booming thunder sound like it is ripping apart the sky above us. I think it really is an amazing thing. When i was little, I was always told that story of how the sound of thunder was just the angels bowling up in heaven...and the lightening was God taking pictures of us down here on Earth. So, anytime a storm would occur you could find me sitting on my bed in my room with the curtains pulled back...my face pressed to the window...smiling my biggest and prettiest smile for God to take my picture. It makes me smile now just thinking about it.
Last night however, I can honestly say that it was the first time in my life that I was actually scared. I was afraid of the non stop lightening and the vicious winds whipping through the trees. We sat there on the loveseat...Shawn, Emma, and myself...all scrunched together...watching the weather channel for updates on the storm. As soon as the screen flashed red across the bottom and announced that people in our area were to seek shelter immediately...my stomach leaped up into my throat. I was panicked...my heart was pounding in my ears. A million thoughts flew through my head...but of course the main one was Emma...and diabetes. I do not have a D-emergency bag put together...the thought never occured to me...I mean, I live in Ontario...we rarely get any sort of horrendous weather here...nothing more than your typical snow storms or summer thunder showers. Emma immediately began crying and grabbed a bag to throw in a few precious toys and items that she wanted to bring in the basement with us. It broke my heart to see her sobbing out of fear...worried that our house would be blown away like Dorothy was blown to the land of Oz...she was terrified and there was nothing I could do to console her because I too was just as scared. I grabbed a grocery bag and began throwing boxes of D-supplies in it, food and juice for if she went low, meter, ketone meter, water...everything and anything that I could think of. It's a good thing that we just got back from our road trip because my brain was still holding on to that lingering methodical mental checklist of items that we could possibly need in any given situation. Shawn grabbed Emma...I grabbed the cat...and we headed down to the basement. It was the first time in my entire life that I actually had to do something like that. Worry filled my brain and threatened to take over...once we were actually down there though, something clicked over for me...in emergency or stressful situations I have a tendency to focus really well...I calmed Emma down...got her giggling...it was odd. How do I go from complete and total panic to complete and total focus and calmness in a matter of minutes...it's weird...I don't understand it...but I am greatful for it.
In any case, all is well now...we are ok...the house is ok...the sun is currently shining. I now have a better understanding and grasp of what I should have and will definitely be doing today...getting an emergency D-supply bag together and keeping it in the basement.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, sounds like a doozy. We had one of those last winter. It uprooted a 30 foot pine tree in our backyard...cRaZy. And...great reminder on the Emergency Bag for "D".

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  2. We went through a similar situation here recently and (in my panic state) dumped our entire D-supply cupboard into a bag to take with us to the basement. It took me days to reorganize that cupboard!! (But it did teach me a lesson about being prepared for such an emergency.) Glad you all are ok.

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