by Judy Harkins

Created on: September 14, 2007

The Hearth of Home

Sitting with our feet all close to the fire, warming our feet and our lives, conversation started as it usually does when we go home. We started to talk about the times all five of us were together as a family in different places. Then the conversation wandered to our most recent gathering. There was no fire. There was no lights. We were visiting together at the end of Summer.

Our oldest sister Carolyn has a home at the beach. She lives on the bay side of the Gulf. Her home is a small one bedroom home, which used to be a shrimper's cottage. Her and her husband found it and bought it for a bargain. The owner had left many items in it. That remains today and adds not only Carolyn's family's personality, but the original owner's.

Being a one bedroom, one bath home was difficult for our family of five. Sleeping arrangements were difficult. Carolyn's husband was away because he works away from the home and commutes on a weekly basis, or as needed let me put it that way.

So for the few days we were together, we had gathered at our oldest sister's home, and our group included our aging mother, she is 85. Also, our next oldest sister who is 59 and myself, I am 56. Then our baby sister, who is 54. Carolyn is 60. So five females of a variety of ages and energy level.

We were having a good time during the first day, but something in the mood of the day changed from good to tense. Sister's as they do when they are young tend to start picking. One sister to one sister. Faye didn't want to play the type of game were playing; she is an aggressive game player and likes to win on her own terms. By the same token our younger sister Kaye is pretty aggressive. I am more of a passive player, in that I like to play and it is for social reasons. Carolyn is of a similar nature. Then mother is 85 and has Alzheimer's so she forgets rules and she is also a little aggressive. She wins a lot. Needless to say, Faye lost a round of cards. Kaye, mother, and Carolyn won one. I lost and laughed about it. You can see where the atmosphere began to change.

Other changes were changing as well. A little after noon, our husband's began to call. A tropical storm had changed course and begun heading right into our direction. It was on course for us moving about 6 miles per hour. The information we were getting was that it would be a lot of rain in a long period of time. This meant that it would not be too bad. The information that our husband's were getting was that it might turn into

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