Thunder & Lightning

We hear thunder in the distance, and our eyes meet. "Hmmmm, we should go put the horses in, if that's really thunder" says my Dad.  My sister, E, and I jump up exclaiming "I'll help you!" and out we go.  The rain is just barely starting to fall, and we can smell the impending storm in the air.  Flashes of lightning brighten the night sky as we scurry to the barn.

The horses know what we're up to; they snuffle and neigh at us as we make our way past the pasture.  We divvy out the evening meal:  scoops of feed, portions of hay, a bucket of water in each stall.  Dad has to clean out the babies' stall (two males, a little over two years old), so we three humans join "the boys" in their big stall, keeping the bigger one, Indy, from "sharing" Vinnie's portion of feed.  While they eat I pet them and coo, scratching their flanks, bellies, chests.  Their are so soft, so smooth, and I feel soothed after this hard day - just being near them.

We get the adults into their stalls and they chow down.  The rain is getting a bit heavier, and after the drought they've had here in Evansville (Indiana), the horses took advantage of the coolness.  Having rolled around in the mud, they are now filthy...and quite pleased with themselves.  I want so much to pet and nuzzle them, but decide to tide myself over with the boys.  Hopefully I'll be able to get my fill of the adults tomorrow, when they will surely need a good brushing.

By the time we get back into the house, there are big flashes of lightning and loud booms of thunder all around.  We close windows and light candles, just in case the power goes out.  It is soothing, this work of settling in for the storm.  I hope that it rains all night (as does the rest of the county, I've no doubt) and that I can listen to it as I fall asleep.

Today we buried my grandmother.  Yesterday we spent the day at the funeral home to attend to visitors and folks giving their condolences.  The day before I spent traveling here from Seattle.  I am tired in a way I haven't felt in a long time - a combination of physical exhaustion and emotional upheaval that has me feeling raw and utterly spent.  My emotions today, particularly, have been like the thunder and lightning outside:  periods of quiet serenity followed by (sometimes sudden) booms, shakes, and blasts of light.

Comments

[Katie]

I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are for you and your family.