In the Tumult of the Storm

The rain poured off my roof this afternoon, and the pea-sized hail clattered on our patio. The tornado sirens wailed to life, quieted down, and then howled again. My Oklahoma children came screaming down the stairs and dashing in my general direction.

“Where is the tornado?” my 10 year old asked with barely consoled terror. He knows tornadoes, they all do. A lifetime in Oklahoma has taught them that fear.
I glanced up from folding laundry to see the weather maps showing the storms to be almost an hour away from us. “Calm down,” I told them. “There is no need to panic. This is just rain and tiny hail. When it’s time to panic, I’ll tell you.”

Head on over to Creative Minority Report to read it all.