Domestic Newsflash

The semi-annual family hair-cutting bazaar arrived once again today. Now we resemble humans more than sheep again.

All this recent weather turbulence reminds us that woolly heads are not wholly necessary for much longer. Yesterday the sun was shining! and today I wore a t-shirt.

I was filling in for my grandparents' caretaker last week in Hodgenville when all the storms came through. Wednesday I got to their house at eight and made breakfast, took my mamaw's blood sugar and gave her an insulin shot, washed up their sheets, and got in the car to leave.

Then Mom called and asked me to stay put for about twenty minutes because it was hailing at home, and there was a tornado warning between us.

So I pulled the car in their garage and went back inside.

Papaw turned on the tv and saw that it was almost right over our heads. Then the tv went out.

In we went to the bathroom with pillows.

The wind and rain was loud on the roof.

Aunts and uncles called, saying they saw the funnel. Then the phone went dead.

So we closed the bathroom door.

But, after my papaw's strong prayers and my mamaw's declaration that she wouldn't mind being blown right up to heaven because she was ready to go anyway, who could stay serious for twenty minutes? Before we knew it, we were balancing pillows on our heads and making jokes.

And the storm was over.

However, sooner than I could leave, a second warning was issued, and this time the electricity went out.

This time I put the washed sheets in the dryer and returned to the bathroom armed with a flashlight.

It blew over soon, but it left a lot of damage nearby. When I finally drove home at noon, the rain was angry and dense.

Last weekend we were warned into the bathroom three times. And we were very thankful for leaving it safe and sound each time.

God is like an excellent caretaker in our storms of life. He checks our spiritual and emotional weather and warns us to seek shelter right now. He is like the sturdiest house frame and the strongest roof. He is like a flashlight in a dark room. He is like a concerned phone call. And in our most worrying moments, he can catch eyes with us and smile to cheer us up because we are all all-right when we are with him.