It was our family's first year in Houston, being transplanted midwesterners. We were more familiar with the Mississippi River overflowing its banks in the spring, threat of tornadoes in the summer, and snow shutting down the city in winter.
August 18, 1983. Hurricane Alicia was heading towards Houston and I was terrified. We had just moved into a lovely neighborhood with lots of trees. Our house was on a small lot but we still had room for 3 pecan trees, a dogwood, and a great Arizona Ash which towered over our one-story. We had done the necessary precautions, so when the winds began to pick up, I was feeling fairly confident that all would be well.
My children had been warned about staying away from the windows, but that didn't stop me from roaming from window to window to check on the status of the howling winds. Our pecan trees were loaded with a bumper crop, so our home was being pelted, sounding like buckshot against the windows. When our dogwood was blown over, my anxiety began to rise. These winds were really serious!
Tornadoes were being reported across the city and many downtown hi-rises had windows blown out, shattering over the streets. Then we lost electricity. Would our roof hold? Would a tree land on us? Would my family be spared?
Then I saw it. In the crook of 2 large tree branches in our front yard Ash was a sparrow, singing for all it was worth. He didn't appear to be worried, and actually seemed to be enjoying the show.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
During the rest of the storm we played Uno by candlelight. It was quite an adventure.
Posted on Monday, August 18, 2008
by Gloria Ruppel
filed under