Instead I got up at 10 a.m. (We've termed this "Olympic Lag" at our house...what happens when you stay up too late from watching the Olympics the night before!), got a text from a friend asking if her girls could spend the day with us. Said yes. Took Aidan to tutoring in Miamisburg. Came back and took everyone swimming (7 kids). My friend and her girls stayed for dinner and another family came over for an impromptu get together (10 kids). My Prince worked on cleaning up the tree in the front yard (the end is in sight, we think!). At 5:30 I saw a post on facebook that Shawn's cousin (our boys age) was having a rough time and spontaneously invited him to go to Renew with us. 8:00 picked up Evan. 9:00 our friends left (leaving behind 2 girls to spend the night and go to camp with us for the day Friday). 9:15 threw some stuff into a laundry basket for the boys to take to camp. 9:30 Shawn left to go to Sidney to pick up his cousin and then head to camp. The girls (Chasity, 2 friends and I) stayed home to sleep since 9 in our cabin might be a few too many. We were set to meet the boys Friday morning--and it gave me time to do laundry for camp. Yippee. I love it when a plan works out.
Friday we got to camp at 8:30. Had breakfast and then the kids were off on their adventures. To be a kid at camp is to independent and free (or at least in your mind). I can appreciate that freedom. Really, I can. At 11 I left with Aidan to take him back to Miamisburg again (2x a week for now). On the way we had a little adventure in hearing God's voice of our own. Pretty cool. I love spending time with this guy. He's growing up. He's always been a deep thinker, but there's something about him lately that I just really like.
Then back to camp. The studies at camp were on "Idols". Good stuff.
Saturday, Shawn and I went home for a few hours to help the guy take the dressers that I'd sold on Ebay. Ahh, goodbye dressers. (My husband could be seen dancing a jig in our driveway...he puts up with me.) Then we got back to camp and shortly after a storm started to roll in. It was thundering in the far-off thundering sort of way. I headed to the cabin to continue reading, "Sacrilege" by Hugh Halter. I was deep in thought when Evan walked in and headed over to the bed. Just as he was about to sit down (and I was expecting a jolt on the bed) a HUGE clap of thunder...like the loudest I've EVER heard smacked! The ground shook and we both jumped. It was SO loud. We heard a baby next door cry. Nate yelled, "Wahoo!". Just then Shawn ran inside and said, "The tree outside just was hit and the bark flew off and showered us. It was crazy. Come see." We went out in the pouring rain and were amazed to see. The tree had been zapped and in a spiral from the top to about 1/3 of the way from the bottom. And bark was everywhere. BIG bark. We were all in awe. My ears were ringing for about an hour and a half after the strike. It was crazy.
From the top in a spiral.
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| Another view--look up! |
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| Bark...it was everywhere. |
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| His souvenir. A huge chunk of bark that flew over and landed in front of our cabin. |
This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it really didn't hit me that I am very blessed that God spared my husband in this crazy scene--and Nate and his little guy and Shawn's brother. They were all within feet of the fried tree when it was struck. Sunday, as I'd realized this (or maybe my brain was finally allowing me to process this part of it), I just kept saying, "thank you, thank you, thank you" all day long for His protection and great love and P O W E R. Wow!
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