"What then shall we say to these things?"

Last weekend, I went to Chicago. It was my boyfriend's birthday on Saturday - lots of jokes about the end of the world, etc. Since he had stubbornly refused to give me any hint about what he wanted as a gift, I got him tickets to the White Sox-Dodgers game. He isn't a huge fan, but hey - baseball games are always fun! Unless the team I'm rooting for loses. Which didn't happen on Saturday. The SouthSiders cleaned up on the boys from L.A, 9-2. (If they were still in Brooklyn I'd be a lot more sympathetic to them.) After the game, we headed for downtown and had dinner (Boyfriend's choice) on Wabash at a place called Flat Top Grill. Good, goooood stuff. And the dessert was better. Mom, you'd like the chocolate. :)

Sunday was church, where for the first time we sat in the balcony. At my church, this is a regular occurance. Not so much at his - but the school kids were singing, and he had to supervise. As far as I could tell, there were no shenanigans. That must mean Boyfriend is effective with discipline. :)  After church, we drove around until we found a place where we could sit outside and have lunch. It ended up being an Irish pub. Good eats, again.

Then it started raining, which meant it was time to go home.

I usually spend a lot of the time driving home on the phone. It's a good time to catch up with family. I did so this time, first with my sister. Then I called my parents. We were well into the conversation when there was this exchange:

Mom: "Do you hear that?"
Me: (hearing nothing but wind going by my car at 65+ on the highway) "Uh, no. What?"
Mom: "The sirens are going off."
Me: "Oh." (presses phone harder to ear) "I think I hear them now."
Mom: "Your father is saying we need to go downstairs."
Me: (thinking, Why are you still on the phone?): "Are you going?"
Mom: "Yep. Just getting my shoes on. I'll call you back after, okay?"
Me: (thinking GETDOWNSTAIRSGETDOWNSTAIRSGETDOWNSTAIRSGETDOWNSTAIRS) "Okay. Love you!"
Mom: "Love you too. Bye!"

Well, it wasn't a false alarm, like so many are. It wasn't a "conditions are ripe for a tornado so this is a precaution" type storm. Mom called back, and she and Dad were fine, as was their home. Many others could not say the same. Today is Thursday, May 26, and by now the entire planet knows what happened Sunday evening in the middle of America. There is nothing to add.

"You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you...For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."   -Psalm 91:5-7, 11

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"               -Romans 8:24-32