The Eye of the Storm

One day when I was about 11 or 12 years old, the day started out to be a nice day. It was a spring day I believe complete with a blue sky and a slight breeze. There were some clouds in the sky floating lazily along. Then out of no where it seemed, the skies suddenly turned dark and ominus. The breeze changed from light to nearly gale force. Leaves and other things that had found places to rest on the ground were now actually spinning around. Before my friend and I could scramble inside, there was lightening, thunder and rain. That day, a tornado touched down just 7 miles from my home in the happiest place on earth! That's right. It hit Disneyland. It was surreal. Tornadoes were not supposed to strike in Southern Ca. And yet, one had. In the blink of an eye.

Today, my life felt much like a tornado. It came without warning. They always do. Even with all wonderful technology they still can not predict a tornado. The clouds were already dark and looming as my day began. My oldest daughter has been sick for two weeks, and was running a high fever. I called the school, and then the doctor. The clouds were threatening. I got the middle daughter off to school, and shortly after headed to the doctor with my 3 year old son in tow. By now, my dear daughter is looking like death and wanting desperately to be seen so she could just go home. My son was getting stir crazy and just wanted to run and play. We waited for what felt like an eternity to be seen, when in reality it was 30 minutes. This, of course, was just to get in the exam room. It was a much shorter wait from there. The nurse took my dear daughter's temp and she had spiked again to a whopping 104..1. That even raised the doctor's eyebrows.

He checked her ears, throat, lungs and all was clear. Only a few things could cause such a fever: strep, pneumonia, appendicitis, or a UTI. Well this poor child has never had to pee in a cup before. I will spare her the embarrassment, and just say we had to do it twice. Her sample showed high proteins and blood. Not exactly good news, but at least now we are closer to going home. But the clouds were still there, and not just threatening, but promising to deliver.

I got us all home and started lunch, but not fast enough as it was minimum day today. I quickly got the middle girl and turned back home where I finished lunches and finally took something for the migraine that started raging somewhere during the doctor visit. By now it was a full blown migraine that required an ice pack and a nap. Well one out of two will have to do. I had to take the oldest back to the doc, since the sample she gave earlier was not enough for the lab. It is standard to send a sample to the lab. I got home wishing I could just go to bed. But the storm was in full swing now. I had to taxi the middle daughter to the dentist.

In the midst of the storm, she had a fair checkup. Her gums are very swollen, but no cavities. She has been referred to an orthodontist due to her bite. Her top teeth do not reach to the bottom set. The storm is still raging and so is my head. I no longer care about financial responsibility. I only care about doing as little as possible. I decided on Carl's for dinner. They must have been caught in the fallout of my storm. My order was all wrong. Who cared anymore. I didn't. I knew after dinner the storm still wouldn't subside. There was still homework to tackle. For a third grader, my daughter has a heavy load of work. She is a trooper and does her absolute best. She has been my rescuer! She has helped her brother and her sickly sister. Extra hugs for her.

The storm seems to have passed, but has left debris and wreckage in its wake. Yes, my house has suffered greatly and my children may need therapy 20 years from now, but this storm has passed. I am glad it is over.