Shelter

We have had a couple of good rain storms in the last 24 hours. It has broken the heat from the high 90s to the mid 80s. Still warm and humid but not quite as bad as it has been.

I was playing around with my art program and wanted to see what the preset for rain would do. In doing so I came up with the accompanying picture called "Shelter From the Storm." I also started thinking about the various shelters there are in life both physical and mental.

My mother works the 3 PM to 11 PM shift at the hospital. I wasn't feeling well on Friday night and was having trouble sleeping. I kept watching the clock and listening for Mom's return. Hearing her come in has always been an emotional shelter for me. She is home and safe and still alive. I watched the clock as it went past eleven, then twelve, and crept towards one AM. The later it got the more worried I became. We had the parade for the County Fair that evening and the start of the fair means more people on the road who have had too much to drink. I sat on the bed facing the window that would allow me to see her car's lights when she turned into the driveway and I prayed. That is another important shelter in my life, the shelter of my God's arms around me keeping me safe. At one I called over to the hospital to be told Mom was just getting ready to leave. A half hour later she was home and I was hugging her and we were in the shelter of each other's arms.

This morning the headache that had plagued me all day yesterday manifested itself into a full blown illness. I spent the entire day sleeping. The shelter of the bed and sleep were there to help  me try and overcome the illness. Sleep shelters us from the worries of the days and dreams help us to unravel the cares. Sometimes I could use a better scriptwriter for my dreams.

We have a small storage shed that is attached to the outside of the house by the carport. It is unlocked because nothing of real value is in it. A small black female cat has taken it as a shelter to give birth to her four kittens, three black and one light gray one. It has been a shelter from other animals because there is so much stuff in there that the kittens can be hidden from sight. The kittens are now weaned and I'm trying to find someone that can safely take her and the three black kittens and find them a shelter of a home. I want a place that will not  put the cats to death if a home isn't found right away. I want a place that will keep looking until homes are found. They are sheltered now and I want them to have a real shelter for the rest of their natural lives.

The gray kitten you ask? Mother, my brother and I are planning to give the little gray one a shelter inside our own home.