"If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old." 
~ James A. Garfield

Nora’s soft little finger ran across the skin under my eye.
 “What are all those lines and bumps around
your eye, Grammie?” she asked.
I laughed,
 “Those are wrinkles, Nora.”
“Ummm,” she responded.  “Why do you have them?”
I decided to go with the short answer.
 “Well, Grammie is getting older, and when you get older you usually get wrinkles.”
That answer was enough for my little granddaughter. She hopped off my lap and skipped off to play with her sisters.

Later that day, while washing my face before bed I glanced at the mirror.  Who was that woman gazing back at me?  She looked familiar, like an older version of the woman staring into the mirror, the one whose body I lived in.  I moved closer to the mirror to have a better look.  Wow, when had all those wrinkles and lines and bumps and puffy areas appeared?  I used my fingers to smooth out the skin around my peepers, yup, that was better.  I could definitely see why some people decided to have a little “work” done on their faces as they aged, but that just isn’t my style.  I released the skin and the wrinkles settled back in like old friends, looking like they had lived there at the sides of my eyes forever.  No wonder Nora had asked about the bumps and lines.  I rummaged through my makeup basket and pulled out the night cream.  Lot of good this is doing, I thought, I was ready to go big guns, wage all-out war against these invaders, and all I had was what was left of the white goo in the bottom of the green jar in the palm of my hand.  I finished at the sink and slipped into bed.  Maybe war wasn’t the answer.

I stared into the darkness, I remembered saying to Nora, “Well, Grammie is getting older, and when you get older you usually get wrinkles.”  It hadn’t bothered me at the moment, but here in the dark, with Bob already snoozing next to me, I realized I really didn’t like the sound of those words.  Being a breast cancer survivor, I am thankful for every day God gives me, and yet, I just wasn’t prepared for aging.  I started thinking about how the lines and creases had etched their way into my face.  Lots of smiling I was sure had caused the lines at the corners, I have lots to smile about.  Fun family times, laughing till I cry with friends and my sisters, weddings, baptisms, new grandbabies, yes, lots of smiling had probably caused those lines.  Some sobering moments and sad moments were likely the reason for some of the puffiness and tired look under my eyes, things like, losing parents, fighting illnesses, worries about the state of the world and the future my children and grandchildren would be facing.  In the dark I realized the lines and wrinkles and furrows were part of a story, the story of my life. 

Thankfully I fell asleep deciding it would not be necessary to take up arms against the uninvited signs of aging I had glared at in the mirror that evening.  I decided to embrace them instead.  Don’t get me wrong, I still use my night cream before settling in for the night, but next time one of my little ones notices some new lines or creases on Grammie’s face and wonders why they’re there, I’m just going to say, “honey, those are part of my story!”  I’m just not prepared to age, I’ll deal with that when I’m old-- and who knows when that will be.

I don’t think I’m what you would call the “adventurous” type.  I do like to try new things and experience new places, I like to meet new people and become acquainted with new cultures, and I love learning about all kinds of things.  This week, I learned something new firsthand: I learned what a Derecho is.  According to Wikipedia, a Derecho is, “a widespread and long-lived straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. Derechos are generally convection-induced and take on a bow echo form of squall line. They travel in the direction of movement of their associated storms, similar to an outflow boundary (gust front), except that the wind is sustained and generally increases in strength behind the front. A warm-weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially June and July in the Northern Hemisphere. They can occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as in the daylight hours.”  My definition of a Derecho is somewhat different. My definition is “sheer terror”.

On Friday evening, June 29th, 2012, I became an adventurer against my will.  Having spent a great evening with Bob watching our beautiful granddaughter Aubree, we headed home in separate cars.  Storms were predicted, but all was calm and dry as we started out.  Within 10 miles of home things changed, suddenly and furiously.  With no warning, my car was slammed into the adjacent lane as 70 mile an hour winds and blinding rain arrived like a high speed train from my left.  Branches and highway barrels bounced around the freeway, narrowly missing those of us frantically trying to stay in our lanes and find safety under underpasses.  The underpass where we sheltered only provided minimal relief. Talking to Bob on the cell phone to plan our next move was next to impossible, as the storm was so loud we had to shout to hear one another.  With tornado predictions forecast on the news station, we headed back on the road, determined to reach home and safe shelter.  Trees and large limbs littered the six-lane freeway, and the wind never once abated.  I thought that my heart would pound right out of my chest (I’m happy to report that it didn’t).  Branches and debris banged against the bottom of my car and at one point we both had to drive under the boughs of a fallen tree that dangled precariously over the barrier wall along the highway, but finally we made it home to a powerless house. I walked into the dark kitchen, hearing the wind still howling around the house, thankful to be alive, and burst into tears.

An hour later the winds abated and residents of the D.C. metropolitan area came out of storm-battered houses to survey the damage—it was extensive.  The high winds felled huge trees, several people were killed when these mighty giants blew down on their houses and cars.  The phones at our roofing business have not stopped ringing since Friday.  And so the cleanup begins.  It will be a long process.  My heart goes out to those who are still without power and dealing with the unrelenting heat that has blanketed the eastern part of the country.  These are the times when neighbors are called to come to one another’s aid.  Those with power can offer warm showers, cool shelter, and become phone charging and internet havens. We can all offer a cold drink to a hot postal carrier or trash collector, check on elderly neighbors who might not be handling the heat well, and help out in a million other ways.   Once again the resiliency of humanity is tested, and with God’s help we will weather the storm.  Stay safe my friends, and know that my future entries will be calmer as I have met my adventure quota for the year!