Stormy Marriage

I mentioned in a previous post that Kevin and I have had quite a stormy relationship. I'd planned to post this blog entry on our official anniversary, but better late than never. This story of anniversaries past explains why this is the first year we've really gotten to do something special and why it wouldn't have been complete without a storm.

The tumult began on September 4, 1999. We got married despite loud protests from Dennis. Virginia suffered a direct hit. We had a wedding to remember.

That same year, Floyd teased us while causing the largest peace time evacuation in the history of the United States. We survived, a little road weary, but blessed by the path he took.

Then, we were surprised by Irene, who seemed to sneak in the back door and kept us up all night with her noise.

The next year I was pregnant and then the next held cousin Michelle's wedding followed by Grandpa Ken's funeral, which extinguished the mood for any anniversary celebrations.

There were a couple of peaceful years after that just to keep us guessing, but in 2004 we experienced quite an upheaval. First came Charley, who grazed us leaving only a small mess in our yard. My mom was here for Frances, who came during a tragedy in our lives and left Kevin and I to evacuate separately. She was followed closely by Ivan, who managed to lengthen our separation. I arrived home just in time to be chased out by Jeanne. Thankfully, our family was together while she raged by.

A reprieve came the year after Jeanne but last year, on the way to NY, Ernesto followed us the whole way, blurring our view and turning a long drive into an even longer one.

We're back in Florida now. The worst storm missed us completely. I feel very fortunate to have weathered the others with little damage to property and no loss of life or limb. Ideally the bumps in the road serve to strengthen one's marriage, one's character, one's resolve. We have avoided the bumps in lieu of the storm. It has caused us to become more flexible, stronger, more thankful, more reliant on God, and one another.

Over the years I've become very sensitive to the words "mandatory evacuation" and listen intently for them when the threat of a hurricane darkens our door. I feel something of a camaraderie with those who "hunker down" and know what it's like to live with plywood on the windows, with those who know by heart the contents of a hurricane survival kit and those who evacuate only to come home to no electricity in the heat of a Florida summer. I feel compassion for those who have gone home to find that home is no longer there. I'm sure, living where we live, we have not seen our last hurricane, but we continue to pray for divine protection and to be grateful for the blessings we have enjoyed over the past eight years... despite the storms, and possibly because of them.