Beirut

Did you hear the thunder yesterday? And on Tuesday? I did. In fact, on Tuesday, our power went out.

I went down to clean my room and listen to my stereo (I have batteries thanks to the 2nd altos!) But it seemed so wrong that I turned around and went back upstairs to the living room and just sat on the couch listening to the rain pound the patio just outside the screen door. Suddenly, the rain stopped, and my mom mentioned something she left out on the patio while she got ready to BBQ. Hey, I thought, no rain, I'll run out to get it. I stepped gingerly out from under our overflowing gutters and then raced to grab... whatever it was. BAM! A huge clap of thunder that made me scream and jump and flail like a madman. I ran back into the house and stood there gasping for composure. My mom looked up from her chair with a sad smile and just murmured,

"I guess this is what it's like in Lebannon. Except all day. And we aren't underground."

I just sat on the couch for the rest of the storm, listening to the boom of thunder and watching our fence sway back and forth. And every time the lightning sent flashes of brilliance through our house, I couldn't help thinking. What if that was the neighbor's house, just destroyed? And there were sirens. So many sirens. What if they were to rescue people trapped under the rubble from the latest boom that was really a rocket not something so awesome as thunder?

Yesterday I was at work, and we were setting up Clue when the thunder started again. And Coy asked me why I jumped and kept looking out the window.

I don't know. But for some reason, I was glad when the rain started again, and it was just another thunderstorm.

Shalom and Salaam,
sara