To anyone else, it might have appeared to be like any other Saturday, but to us it was so much more. It was the first day our family of six had been under the same roof from sun up to sun down without any help from family or friends since the day Ellie was born. It felt wonderful. It felt right. The best part of the day was when an afternoon thunderstorm rolled in. The kids were anxious to get some use out of the umbrellas they got for their birthdays.
But then the rain really started coming down. I dare say it was the hardest I had ever seen it rain and after just 15 minutes our street turned into a running river. (Scott informed me this storm was nothing compared to Omaha storms.)
The rain let up and so we quickly fashioned some garbage sack ponchos and headed out to play
We made a game of filling buckets and watering our dead lawn.
An hour later the streets were dry again and it was as if the storm had never happened.
I am so grateful Ellie happened to be sleeping soundly in her crib during this little window of time so I could be spontaneous and make some memories with my big kids. It felt so normal. It felt like a glimmer of hope that life will go on.
Just like this storm the last little bit of our life has been the most intense downpour of trials I have ever experienced. But it feels like the storm is letting up. We are still wadding through the giant puddles left behind but are starting to enjoy little moments along the way. I keep telling myself that just like the street, one day, many years from now, the water will all be gone and there will be little evidence of this storm we have endured. It will just be a memory. But like the grass, we will benefit from the extra water and hopefully be a little greener.
