Storm 2006: Part II,The Murmur Of The Dove

~The night of the storm was terrifying. I was in the house alone when the first tree fell on the house, and Hubby was home with me as we sat in the living room, the house warmed by our woodstove and the only light was candlelight. The power was out and the storm was raging. I now know what people are talking about when they say the hurricane / storm sounded like a freight train, because that is exactly what it sounded like all night and into the early morning.A freight train coming at the big picture window.When the biggest tree fell onto the house I was literally paralyzed with fear. We could not possibly see how the house could still be standing with that monster hitting hard. The whole house shook and the boom when the tree hit was loud.Hubby grabbed my hand and commanded me to get up off the floor( where I had fallen) and follow him. ~This beautiful scrimshaw is a Christmas ornament I keep out all year. We received it in a family reunion/ Christmas party a few days before the storm. Our cousin Terry Christian is a world renowned scrimshaw artist and this was a coveted ornament in the gift exchange. Check out Terry's work at Scrim Gallery. ~We grabbed flashlights and went upstairs fully expecting to see the whole second floor collapsed. Miraculously it hadn't. We could see the branches through the ceiling, and Hubby climbed into the attic and inspected the damage. There was a lot of tree poking through the roof, and branches made it hard for him to fully inspect, especially in the dark. But Hubby declared the house sound enough for us to stay in it, and then in the brief lulls before the winds would pick up he gathered all the tarps we owned and began trying to cover the many holes. ~We also had to inspect the dove cote to see if there were any doves surviving the damage both trees had caused. There was pretty much nothing worth salvaging in my first beautiful dovecote. The wood and wire and perches and nest baskets were crushed , and tangled or buried in tree debris. But...the doves were perching quietly in , around, and amidst the wreckage. Hubby , with flashlight, began climbing through the piled destruction and gathering the doves, one by one. We counted them as we placed them in a bird cage. There was one missing. Wow, all that damage, and we lost only one dove. ~We had to interrupt our dove rescue several times because the winds would start up again and we could hear BIG trees falling around us, branches whipping by our heads, and we were searching through the unstable debris of the two large trees that fell on our house, so that was not too safe either. Hubby kept trying to stay outside and look for the doves, but I was not willing to lose him for a dove.

~This is an ornament Hubby's brother and his wife gave us. I keep it out all year too.~

~The next morning, at the faintest bit of light, we went outside to survey the damage. We could barely walk anywhere. There were huge trees down everywhere. As I looked at the scene before me I could not possibly imagine us ever being able to repair the house and reclaim our property.Then in a rhododendron bush, right there by our walkway, was the missing dove. Just peacefully perched there, safe and unharmed. She allowed me to pick her up..and take her to safety."Come gracious Spirit, heavn'ly Dove, with light and comfort from above; be Thou our Guardian, Thou our guide, O'er every thought and step preside." Throughout the rest of the many storms we had, as my fears would shake me, I could hear the doves outside in their temporary cages, from inside the house. They would murmur and coo.....all night. And this comforted me.

~Gracious Spirit~ "Gracious Spirit, Dove Divine, Let thy light within me shine, All my guilty fears remove,Fill me full of Heaven and love. Let me never from Thee stray, keep me in the narrow way Fill my soul with joy divine, Keep me Lord forever Thine. Speak Thy pardoning grace to me, Set the burdened sinner free Lead me to the Lamb of God, wash me in His precious blood. Life and peace to me impart,seal salvation in my heart Breathe thyself into my breast, earnest of immortal rest." by John Stocker ~My next post will be about special people who were there to help us above and beyond anything we expected.And the final post on the storm. ~