hungry

The sound, a low rumbling, caught my attention.  In the darkness I caught sight of something large slip between the cracked garage door, like a tongue licking giant lips.  Was the house purring?  Is that what I heard?  It was happy knowing it was about to be fed?

My path did not cross directly in front and I certainly felt no desire to get any closer to the garage.  The curiosity of what I’d really seen and what I’d heard was strong, though.  Perhaps if my errands hadn’t been quite so urgent, I might have crept closer to see what there was to see.

Then maybe this story would have a different ending….

the lighthouse

She stood on the outcropping,
A sentinel towering above the rocks and foam,
Weathering the worst of storms and darkest nights,
Shining her brilliant light, her message of love and safety, for all to see.

But she did her job too well,
And her light guided everyone away from her,
To where they needed to be, yes, but away all the same,
Until she’d been alone for so long she began to doubt her worth, her purpose.

She pondered her isolation,
And considered turning off her light,
Not to sow chaos or cause harm, or for attention,
Because she no longer thought she was needed to protect the sea.

She stood on her outcropping,
And dimmed her lights, little by little,
Until the shore was left unprotected in the night,
With ship after ship crashing and smashing into the unseen dangers.

She watched from the precipice,
While the carnage unfolded below her,
And she tried to re-spark her light and shine again,
Only to realize it was never hers and turning it on was beyond her control.

She called out from the darkness,
Hoping to gather those who light fires,
And she waited patiently for them to climb her tower,
But who would answer her call in the worst of storms and darkest nights?

fault

It didn’t look like much from the street.  The two stories were different colors and different shapes and the second floor looked like a manufactured home.  Which made sense because it was.  How it came to be placed on top of a normal single family residence isn’t much of a story.  He paid off a construction crew in cases of beer to make that mistake.  It took four cranes and two giant excavators to hoist the mobile home up there without severally damaging the structure.  Perhaps, if the crew had waited to partake of their spoils until after the job was completed, the large cracks that ran down the two long sides of the unit could have been avoided.  But, we cannot change what has already happened.

He lived alone but had friends over often.  The newcomers arrived excited to tour such a unique building in hopes that the inside was just as eccentric as the out, but they always left disappointed.  Those who came more than once were invited back because they had seen the true worth in what had been created.  Though, they were all surprised they had been let in on the secret.

To his face they praised his ingenuity and preparedness.  Behind his back they laughed at the absurdity of it all.  The waste.  The unnecessary use of time and resources.  They called him a bit off.  They scoffed until the ground began to shake and then they raced to his house to take advantage of the protection they had thought useless.

How could they have known the fault lines would become active again?  How could he for that matter?  But, those questions mattered little when the shaking lasted for days and a canyon opened where their houses had once stood.  All was lost, except for his modified home.

It rode the tidal waves of earth until the pressure became too great and then the first floor collapsed upon itself as it had been designed to do.  The rollers and tethers between the two floors allowed the manufactured home to rise with the crests and drop with the valleys of the earthquakes.  The layered walls of feathered steel plates crumpled and distorted but held their basic shape.  The roof strained against the angles, but remained intact.

Survivors noticed and flocked to his home.  Most didn’t make it to his front door as the earth took them with its erratic movements.  Those who managed the journey successfully were all kept at bay.  He had no room for people who couldn’t see the value of being prepared.  He understood the hypocrisy of keeping some out while letting others in when all had doubted, including his so-called friends.  He had heard their murmurs and whispers at his expense.  But, they had arrived first, and he knew he would need help in the long, hard days ahead.

So, he let them in even though they didn’t deserve to be saved, because he was preparing for what came next.  Rebuilding.  Growing.  Surviving.

Help Save their Home

For those who have already given, thank you, you are a hero. For those who haven’t yet, if you can, please do. If you can’t, please reblog, or tweet, or pass along on Facebook, or do whatever you can to get the word spread around. Spread the big bloggy love.
Imagine if the roles were reversed, if you were losing your home, over a disease that was beyond your control…
http://www.youcaring.com/help-a-neighbor/help-save-a-home/142484

Have I mentioned

How awesome the WordPress community is?

Well, you are awesome.  Normally I would have said awesomesauce, and I might have even said awesomesauceh, but commercials have begun using that so I can’t do it anymore.  I’m in the market for a new word, maybe spectacujam…?  I think I should continue thinking on that…

Anyway, back to the point.  Yes, I have a point.  Hey!  It happens sometimes.  I’m not always about silliness.  Just because I’m silly 99.9999999325% of the time doesn’t mean I can’t be serious too.

I think…

I’m not really sure anymore.

And, look, you got me off track again.  Bad kingdomites!  As your punishment, I need you to check out this link: http://www.youcaring.com/help-a-neighbor/help-save-a-home/142484

Can you believe we have already raised over $1,100 dollars to help out Merry and her husband?  That’s outstanding.  I’m floored by the outpouring of support they have received.

There is still a bit to go before they reach the goal that will ensure they can keep their home, though, so if you can, please send a bit of love, or hugs, or money, or flamethrowers to help torch all those pesky feathers, or whatever you can.

I may have gotten off track there, but I think you got the general message, right?

Good.

And, don’t forget to drop by and thank Zoe for setting up the donation site and getting this all rolling.

Hooray for people acting like, well, people.  I knew we still could if we wanted to.  I know we can help Merry save her home.

…..

What’s one thing you’ve done that you are especially proud of?