When life gives you lemons…
It seems ages since I’ve posted on my blog and I am so, so sorry. That old saying holds true, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”…especially in my life lately.
While the beginning of the year was busy as well as productive, February hit with a vengeance. Not only was my writing experiencing a little block, my family seemed to hit a stumbling block as well. While one member of my family is far away and trying to decide on the next steps in establishing her career, others were at home or nearby experiencing health and life-threatening problems.
As shown on this photo from Alabama’s 13, an EF4 tornado hit the college town of Hattiesburg, MS, last Sunday. This photo was taken seconds before it struck the home my youngest daughter was using while attending classes there. It destroyed her home and left her looking for a new place to live. Not only did it damage her home but she was unfortunate to be in the midst of this monster tornado. She was at a neighbor’s when it blew through her neighborhood taking down power lines, downing trees and destroying homes and cars. A traumatizing experience, I do not think she will forget this experience any time soon. But she is moving on…she’s found a new home with new roommates, she has already settled in and is happy and healthy. Most of all, she is unhurt.
Unknown to most, I was about two blocks down the street when this storm blew through. My husband had taken ill and was being seen at the hospital there. He got to experience the power outage while being given an MRI scan on a lower floor while I was on the topmost floor, in the hallway with visitors and patients, as the lights flickered and went out and that classic roar was heard overhead. It was a scary sound but nothing compared to the screeching winds my daughter experienced just blocks away as windows busted out of the home she was in and trees crashed around them.
The experience has given me new perspective on the delicate balance of time. As I stated in the title it has given me pause and has made me try to see the ‘lemonade’ in the world around me. Writer’s block? Gone. Busy? Still. Tired? Absolutely. But…
I have realized just how precarious our circumstances are. Life is not an absolute given but a delicate flower that can be blown away in the wind. Here today…gone tomorrow. We never know. Chasing my dream of writing is a fabulous and rewarding endeavor but I must treat it as I should. Sometimes I go off on different ventures, leaving my writing sometimes for days.
Back on my writing schedule, I am ready to resume my normal life. This will be the year my work is available!
Have a glass of lemonade….I have,
KW
Karen,
Raises glass of lemonade to you. Thank goodness everyone is okay.
I am glad that you are back to writing.
Robert
Robert, dear friend! Haven’t heard from you in a while. Thank you for the comment. All is getting better each day and I am loving my writing again. Each day gets me more and more back to ‘normal’. Hope all is well with you.
I am glad everyone in your family is okay. It’s worth it to spike that lemonade a bit, you sure deserve it. 😉
Thank you, Carole! We are doing well and you are right…sometimes a little spiking works wonders!
I am glad everyone in your family is okay. It’s worth it to spike that lemonade a bit, you sure deserve it. 😉
My niece was also in that tornado! The music building at USM was damaged badly, but thankfully she & her cello were at her own apt and were unharmed.
Prayers for recovery! I’ve had the same type of year.
Pamela! So glad your niece and her cello are alright! The area on campus that houses the Music Department was very badly damaged. This area usually gets a few small tornado warnings but few major storms of this type. According to the news, the last of this magnitude was in 1908 (I’ve researched it for genealogy/writing in past years…deadly for that era).
Great to hear from you and hope to see you soon this year!