It IS a Wonderful Life, After All

A few nights ago, we sat in front of the TV set, watching the radar map, wondering if we would be blown away by a tornado.

Outside, the atmosphere was eerie. Lightning criss-crossed the sky, but there was barely any thunder. The air was oppressive and still. Very still.

As we sat listening to the weather guy, I began to wonder at how quickly life can change. How one event that happens in seconds can alter your life forever, and wipe out the blessings you've taken for granted.

I thought about some of the recent events, like the tornado that leveled the town of Moore near Oklahoma City. The natural disasters and man-made tragedies that have occurred in seconds but with devastating, life-altering consequences.

I guess we have to be wired this way, otherwise we'd lose our minds, but most of us go along, day after day, putting one foot in front of the other, heedless of where we are going or where we have been, oblivious to those around us. Living in a haze of petty slights and irritations, cursing the driver who cuts us off or the co-worker who cuts us down. Until something big, something bad happens to stop us in our tracks. That's when we shift gears. Donate blood. Send money. Pray. For awhile. Until we slip back into the haze. And, except for those who are directly affected by the tragedy, we forget.

I began to imagine what would happen if a tornado did hit our house. What would I miss the most? (Assuming, of course, that only possessions, not human life, were lost). The treasures, large and small, that tell who we are and what we love. And whom we love. I imagined the photographs, a chronicle of our life and the lives of those who came before. Items that bring us comfort and peace. All of the things I take for granted.

The clock read midnight. The tornado warning was called off. It began to rain. The weather guy went back to wherever weather guys go when the apocalypse has failed to materialize. As for me, although it wasn't November and we weren't eating turkey or ham, I took that time and thanked the Ones who have given us so much to be thankful for.

Then I went to bed. And got up the next morning. And forgot again.