Rain, Wind, & Smiles

They called it a monster storm, a Frankenstorm, a giant storm that would make her mark in history. And when Sandy blew through, she certainly howled like a monster. Rain pelted our windows, and at times it seemed like the whole building would groan when the wind gusts hit. Like someone slowly turning a volume dial, the wind intensified until finally it was obvious that Sandy had arrived and was sitting on top of our home, the most unwelcome guest.

I spent the evening pretty much on top of my husband's head. Every time the wind blew, I jumped. That man must have the patience of Job because he never once got irritated with my squeals or yelps. Once in the night, we heard a loud metallic bang. I was sure a tree had fallen on the picnic area outside the condo. But when the sun finally rose the next morning and we could see what the winds had caused, there was no visible source of the sound.

My husband was like a little boy, peering out the blinds exclaiming "cool!" as the trees swayed back and forth. And, go figure, first thing in the morning he wanted to throw on rain jackets and boots to go survey the damage. I have to admit though, I was curious too. So there I went, trudging along beside in his rain jacket, which reached to my knees. He burst out laughing and said I looked like a little kid. Hey, I can't help I'm short.

Over night, our little creek had become a little river, complete with mini rapids. Limbs and trees were down left and right--some small ones, some big ones. The wind showed no discretion in which trees it toppled. Some huge ones I thought would surely ride out the storm were down, while some smaller ones still stood. I guess it depended on the ground around them and how deep their roots were. Thankfully, our little condo survived with no damage. A townhouse across the street wasn't so lucky, All the siding on one side was completely stripped. Arbitrary damage, here and there.

Later, though, after looking through the pictures I took, I noticed one that was different. A little leaf, glued to the window. The rain droplets that held the leaf to the glass formed a little smiley face. After seeing all the different wreckage, milder in our town, pitiful on the news in places like NYC, that little leaf made Mark and I laugh. During all that hectic rain and wind, God had slapped one little smiley-face leaf to our window, as if to say don't worry, it's all going to be fine. Just smile and carry on and be happy in your marriage.

So we are. =)