tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995602.post-85401489828713900032008-05-08T13:31:00.004-04:002008-05-13T01:21:12.450-04:002008-05-13T01:21:12.450-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_hEmMUiOQltM/SCNKIGU6RgI/AAAAAAAAAO0/dmHgD1fYqz8/s1600-h/storm+clouds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_hEmMUiOQltM/SCNKIGU6RgI/AAAAAAAAAO0/dmHgD1fYqz8/s400/storm+clouds.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198079897913411074" /></a><div><br /></div><div>When I was a kid bad weather terrified me.  Even if there was no rain, all it took was that little white funnel shaped "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">tornado watc</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">h</span>" immage to appear on the upper corner of the television and I began to twitch.  </div><div><br /></div><div>And at night, as soon as the thunder and lightening started, I would take evasive action:  Roll over on my stomach, cover myself with the blanket (because of course anything under the covers was safe, and anything exposed was in danger), bury my face in my pillow, and plug my ears with my fingers.  I would burn up with sweat in the summer, and I couldn't breath, but it was my only defence against the terror.  I did everything I could to not see the lightening or hear the thunder.  And every night, no matter what the weather, the liturgy of prayers I would say with my mother always ended with, "No tornados tonight?"  </div><div><br /></div><div>These days I love thunderstorms.  When the sky gets dark and the thunder rolls, I love to open the windows and listen to the rain fall to earth.  However, this spring I am beginning to wonder if I should start building an ark and gathering pairs of animals.  I have lived most of my life in Tornado Alley, but I have never seen as much wind and rain as has fallen on us this spring in Arkansas.  I took this picutre a couple of weeks ago from our appartment balcony in the middle of the afternoon.  I woke up from a nap and thought it was night.</div><div><br /></div><div>A week later the weather woke us up about 4:30 in the morning and motivated us to start heading for the closet.  And sadly, the storms killed people and destroyed homes to the west and east of us around that night.  Arkansas - and much of this area of the south - is a soggy mess.  And it is not letting up.  I wonder if it is always like this here, or did we move during an extra stormy season.</div><div><br /></div><div>And yet our water and wind woes pale to the tragedy in Burhma.  Lives lost.  Homes gone. Danger of famine and disease.  And a useless junta government.  Lord have mercy...</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664056566879773286noreply@blogger.com0