When I was a little girl, I was afraid of all sorts of things- especially thunderstorms. I had been through a pretty traumatic stretch in life after my mother died and we all moved to Maine. I guess that resulted in some insecurity and fears.
One fear that I remember is that I did not want to talk to men (oh, how that changed!). I went to live with my Uncle Herky and Aunt Ginny. I did NOT want to talk to Unk and I especially did not want him to talk to me. Being a great teacher and Scout leader, this did not phase him. He used a cookie monster hand puppet and made that little four year old laugh. Over the years he changed from Unk to Dad and I still have a stuffed cookie monster in my bedroom to remind me of how lucky I was to adopt such fantastic parents.
Another fear that I had was of thunderstorms. In Maine they seem to track down the rivers, so you knew they were coming for a long time. We lived on 180 Madison Avenue in Skowhegan and we had a great screen porch on the side of the house. Whenever a thunderstorm was approaching, Unk would make ice cream cones and we would sit out on the porch and eat them. I was terrified at first, but I loved ice cream and I loved talking by then, and I gradually overcame my fear. I still think about angels bowling and hitting strikes when I hear thunder.
These days I enjoy a good thunderstorm. I love the power and majesty of nature and the sense that everything is cyclical. Rather than making me nervous, I feel a profound sense of calm.
All thanks to my Dad.
