sandy stormy excitement...

I do realize that it was not all fun and excitement for people downstate and in New Jersey, and other places on the coast. So without belittling their truly tragic storm experiences, I will relate ours:

Much ado about nothing. Our power didn't even go out. Oh, it flickered several times, went out and back on, just enough to make the girls afraid to go to the bathroom without a candle or flashlight. Enough to make me stay on top of the dirty dishes, "in case the power goes out and we don't have any water". We kept the toys picked up and the floors cleared, just in case. I did tons of laundry, just in case.

It was windy. It was rainy. After school activities were cancelled, and we watched in hope for a closing today, but no. After we finished our dinner of roasted chicken thighs with lemon pepper and Carribean Jerk, mixed veggies, and fresh rolls (you know, the fresh ones from the can? store brand Pillsbury...)(and no, I smelled them but didn't have even one bite. wah.)Anyway, after dinner, Mali and I started out on our date...traffic court! Her ticket from that accident many months ago was finally going to be resolved. I voted we skip, but she called the court clerk, who assured her that, "Of course we will still be in session tonight!" Well. We drove down the dark windy backroads, past a firetruck parked next to a downed power line, over several branches in the road, over swirling leaves, past flying garbage cans...to court. It was strangely dark, not a car in the parking lot. We waited. Surely they were just late. She called the clerk a few more times, no answer.

Now, one would think that perhaps that clerk could have called Mali back to tell her they had cancelled. The court docket for this particular place is...well, last time there was one other person in court. Not like it would take her all night to go though the list and make the calls. rrrrr.

Mali declared that she was mad, but I told her to never mind being mad. We had a nice little drive through the storm, and being mad doesn't help. Never mind that she came home from college to do this...

So. All in all, we made it through the storm fine. The kids are in school today. The trees in the yard are naked. We have three cases of water bottles, and a few jugs of Poland Spring water for the next storm. We have plenty of extra batteries, and some of those nice Christmas candles that go in the windows. I sent the younger ones to bed with those last night, Just In Case.

And, Benjamin was texting me last night...seems he and Ashley aren't ready to throw in the towel yet. hmm. Of course I wish them well. I want their marriage to survive. The ups and downs are making me dizzy. I will still pray for both of them, that they can forgive and forget and move on, build a life together if that is what they are choosing.

Ha, now Ashley can help Paul and I and Benjamin cook the Thanksgiving dinner for the guys!

Okay...I am a mom. I have lots of kids. Last night there were fifteen of us at the dinner table. Life is busy. The work is never ending. I have six teenagers. SIX! And five kids older than teenagers. And five younger ones. Can anyone guess which group gives Mom the most headaches? Yes, for one million dollars, you are correct! The teenagers! I love them with all my heart, yes I do. But. The way they squawk at each other. Oh, if I could only MAKE them not want to have the last word. MAKE them drop it. MAKE them say things gently to each other. I am learning to take a deep breath, not react back the same way they are talking to me. I am learning what to ignore, and when to put my foot down. I am learning that the depth of the my offendedness doesn't have to equal the degree my foot goes down. Oh, by the time my kids are all grown and moved out, I should be a saint, with all I am learning! Tried faith is more precious than gold. And mine is surely tried, day after day!

The key is to seek wisdom from God. He hears our prayers, and He gives to those who ask. When dealing with so many personalities, there is no set formula. One size does not fit all. But when I am seeking His will...then I can sense when to let up, when to let go, when to persevere. The thing is, I need to first cleanse myself. Reacting out of anger or being offended, or because I am sick and tired of something.. helps NO ONE.

So as usual, I have my work cut out for me. It isn't just to keep the place from turning into too much of a pigsty. ha. That isn't the real work here. The real work is understanding that God placed precious souls into our hands, to care for, to teach, to lead to Him. I know that God wouldn't just give all these kids then move on to other things, no, He is there listening and answering prayers, giving grace.

But for now, it is just Suri and I...she is napping, I am drinking coffee and writing important things...but my mind is wandering now to all that I should be doing.