.jpg) |
| Statue of Liberty Wall Cling- Target purchase |
SHeltər/
noun
1.
a place giving
temporary protection from bad weather or danger
Last year’s Oklahoma weather escalated the storm shelter business.
We Marottas waited five months to get ours installed. While it isn't as slick as a room remodel or
as fun as a backyard Jacuzzi, neither of these provides protection in tornado
country.
When our kids wore Keds the
bathroom was our safe place. The girls
plus dog could fit together in the bathtub with helmets, pillows, and at least
one book. My post was next to the tub
with candles and a battery operated radio, while Sweetness held vigil at the
television until the very last possible moment to add to the drama. Good times.
The Keds are now
replaced with size 8 Nike's, so we upgraded our safety to an in-ground-in-garage storm shelter. It's not much bigger than
a Jacuzzi, but it has a purpose- knowing we have shelter brings me peace.
verb
1.
protect or shield from
something harmful, especially bad weather
.jpg)
An internet search
yielded resources to the essential items to include in a survival kit. We also need to shelter the anxiety when we
are in our safe place so I have intentionally personalized our kit to bring comfort. Our “safe snacks” are foods we take on hikes,
with biscuits to coax our resident therapy dog down the steep stairs. Cards and
Mad-Libs will pass the time and bring some comic relief. The crotchet blankets are a Grammie legacy-
she sheltered me in my formative years.
The idea of us all sitting in a snug grey
box under my Ford called for just a little something extra. . . A focal point. Our shelter needed something to welcome us to safety.
For our family the Statue of Liberty is our visual anchor.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
New York is where our
family began. Sweetness and I met and
married there. It is where the Artist. was born. New York is home to family and friends that feel like family. After the storm we know we will hear from them. Lady
Liberty gives us hope that we will weather the storm.
I wish you and your
family shelter and continued comfort this tornado season.
