Man, have we had some storms in Chicago on Sunday and Monday night. They were those classic middle of the summer, hot temperatures, severe thunderstorms, except with a twist… literally. Yeah, tornado warnings on both of those evenings; I wasn’t too worried. The first night, the rain and wind was pelting my son’s bedroom windows; he was a little nervous, and ended up jumping in bed with us… but we certainly didn’t retreat to the basement. When was the last time a full blown tornado hit the city of Chicago proper? It was that same attitude we had on Monday night, getting more upset that the MLB All Star Home Run Derby was getting interrupted. Although when we did look out the door, we saw the rain flying sideways… with a strong wind blowing directly south. When my son finally went up to bed, I looked out his window; we actually did have some damage. The privacy wall on our deck had been blown down! Minor damage in all; thankfully we made it through the storm.
Earlier in the day on Monday, my sister mentioned to us that it had been 100 days since my mom had passed; the 100 day storm if you may. Time flies when you’re not having fun? We have a group text message between my sister, brother, and I… where we “check-in” every day; before this happened, we wouldn’t communicate nearly as often. It’s the same type of deal with my dad; I make sure to call him every day, even if for 5-10 minutes. Another change at least for me, since that event 100 days ago. I would talk to my parents every couple days before then; sometimes more days in between than others. Don’t think it’s necessarily a guilt thing, but certainly a “raised awareness” thing… after losing one parent, there is certainly a heightened sense of awareness… or heightened sense of something.
I am not OK… anyone operating under that assumption would be incorrect; not sure what to say. When will I be OK? “Time heals everything… so give it time” That’s a recent quote I read, listed under “the 7 rules of life”… I’ve had to follow this rule previously, for various things, but I think it will really get tested this time. Every day is not a “storm”, by any means. Some days maybe just a slow drizzle; other days like the 3 month anniversary of my mom’s death which happened to fall on a Saturday was like a flash flood warning. Hearing about the 100 days… another “milestone”… a medium downpour. Mother’s Day was a severe thunderstorm… which I’m expecting in about a month from now when my birthday rolls around, which I just so happened to share with my parents’ anniversary every year I was alive until now. This may be the first time I’m not looking forward to my birthday…
We keep it moving though; that is the ONLY option. This summer has had its share of great, happy moments, no doubt; the trip to the DR was great… if only it could have been for a month. More trips ahead before the summer comes to an end; I’m sure there will be more storms ahead too. And no, I will not be running down to the basement to take shelter, but will be standing there, watching the rain blow sideways, saying “bring it on”… even if this is my first tornado…
Leave a Reply