From the Inside Out

Wind, rain, storms and even tornadoes…nothing can stop us from rehearsing MRT’s melodrama! The director scheduled an extra rehearsal tonight, and it was an interesting evening.

Our regular practice venue wasn’t available so he booked a room at a dance studio in Allen. The evening started out normal. We arranged chairs and benches to represent the chairs and furniture that will be on the stage.  Then, we started going through the scenes.

Not long after we started, a woman entered the room:

“We are under a tornado warning and sirens are going off in Plano. I’m watching the radar and will keep you posted.”

Now, if you live in Texas, you know that the tornado sirens go off frequently. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a tornado is coming your way…so we kept practicing.

A few minutes later, the woman was back:

“They are saying a tornado is on the ground and more sirens are going off. We’ll meet in the room at the end of the hallway if we need to take cover.”

Undeterred, we kept practicing. After all, the show must go on!

We were immersed in our own little world, working through the blocking of a scene and then….the lights went out.

Our plans were foiled!

*cue melodramatic music*

Hmm…maybe the storm was more serious than we thought.

*run to windows to check it out*

Looking through the blinds, we got our first glimpse of the dark, menacing clouds hovering nearby. We waited and watched. The clouds passed overhead, and then the flood came. Rain poured, winds blew, and trees were bent over.

*cue more melodramatic music*

It was raining so hard that it was difficult to see outside the windows.

*the females gasp and shiver with fear; the strong, manly men run to comfort them*

Eventually, we were able to move to another room that had power. Rehearsal started again.

*everyone cheers!*

While the storm raged outside, we continued because we knew that one day audiences would be watching our show.  We had to be ready!

*applause for the brave actors*

The storm finally calmed, and we had a productive night even with all of the distractions. We made it through the entire play, and I got to start adding in some of the live piano music!

*more applause for the brave actors — c’mon, we live for applause!*

We’ll do it all over again tomorrow… and Friday…and Saturday (hopefully without the storms).

Last night was rough for many people living in the southern US.  Tornadoes ravaged Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky, killing 55 people and injuring countless others.  My prayers go out to those who lost loved ones and the others who are now faced with rebuilding their lives. 

I’ve lived in Tornado Alley all of my life.  You get used to it when you live here, but it’s not easy to watch people lose everything, especially when you know it could have been you standing there in front of a pile of rubble that used to be your home.  Nature is so unpredictable; disasters like this are a not-so-subtle reminder that we are very small in this grand universe that God has created.  

When I was a child, my family lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma (another Tornado prone area).  In fact, I still remember the day my sister and I were sitting at the table eating when all of a sudden my mother sternly instructed us to take cover in the closet.  Too young to fully understand what was happening, we reluctantly obeyed.  Not long afterwards, she allowed us to leave the closet and go outside.  Standing by our Pinto, we witnessed one of nature’s ultimate windstorms, a tornado.  It had formed over our house and touched down about a mile away.  I still remember it vividly.  I was an amazing sight to behold.  I was in awe until I realized that there were people we knew nearby who might be in the path of its destruction.  Then, fear set in.  Fortunately, none of our family or friends were hurt, but that day has been forever scored in my memory.  It was the beginning of my fascination, awe, and fear of storms.

For many years, I was afraid of storms at night — worried that a tornado would come and destroy our house.  As I grew older, though, that fear subsided.  I wanted to know how storms worked, why tornadoes formed, and what caused lightening.  In school, I loved the science classes that focused on the weather.  I think I would have loved to be a meteorologist, but life didn’t lead me in that direction. 

Still, even today, I’m fascinated by weather and storms.  I love to sit and watch a great cloud formation.  I can’t explain it.  Maybe it’s because it reminds me of how small I am and how great God is.  I don’t know.  Regardless, it can still captivate me like nothing else. 

I’m a sucker for reality shows, and lately I’ve been watching the Tornado chaser shows.  Those people are insane, but I would totally love to be with them.  It would be very cool to go along for the ride while they use the latest technology to understand the storm, predict where dangerous weather patterns will occur and then chase down the storm in hopes of catching a tornado.  I think it would be neat to witness one again, but this time I’d like to see it in an unpopulated area, not in my home town. 

Who knows…maybe one day I’ll do a ride along with the “Twister Sisters”.