The Big Storm

      The Weather Channel and Channel 2, NYC are programming non stop about the "Frankenstorm" coming in on the East Coast.  Everyone, I'm sure, is praying that people are careful and few lives are lost.  But it reminds me of a big storm in the summer before I started First Grade, 1942.
      Dad was at work, Mother had gone downtown to a 'Dollar Day' sale and our cousin, Verna Mae Johnson, who lived next door to us - we were living on Smith Street - was babysitting us.  "Us" is the oldest four, Me, Russ, Judy and four month old Richard.  It was a calm July day when my mother left.  It was the day after her birthday and Dad had sent her a dozen roses,  The vase of flowers was on top of the piano.  The piano was on the inside wall across from the windows.   The storm just seemed to come out of nowhere and the basement was really a cellar and the door to it was on the back porch.  Verna elected to take us to one of the upstairs bedrooms.  I can remember being so afraid and she asked all of us to pray.
      The cyclone was so strong that it pulled the siding off the west side of the house and broke the windows in the living room.  Unbelievably, the vase of flowers across the room stayed in place.
       Mother said later that the storm broke out the windows at Bergners and they were advertising fur coats for winter and  the coats were blown out of the displays and on the street from the wind.    As soon as she could, she got on the streetcar and headed home.  We were really thrilled to see her.
        I was afraid of storms for years, panicky even, in fact, I stayed afraid until Leah was born.  I didn't want my children to be as scared as I was and so calmed myself to be able to keep them calm.  Amazing how we cure our fears.

The rest of the story........Mother felt so bad that she was not at home when the storm was happening that she took the three oldest of her children to the movies - our first time in a theater.  Richard stayed home with Dad.  The movie was "The Wizard of Oz" and when the storm in the beginning happened, Russ, Judy and I dived under our seats and started crying.  Mother tried to sooth us and she had a difficult time convincing us to sit on top of the seats instead of cowering under them.  And, of course, in  a little while the movie changed to color and we slowly calmed down.  I know the movie is a classic but it has never been one of my favorites.  It may be psychological!!