Rain Rain Go Away....

For my very first blog post, I'd like to tell you a very true and sad story about My Yellow Umbrellow.

About 4 years ago, I received an unexpected birthday package in the mail from FeO's mama. She mailed me an awesome Vera Bradley bag....yellow with blue flowers and butterflies. I LOVED it...still do. Tucked inside the bag was a matching Vera Bradley yellow umbrella with blue flowers! FUN!! Now, FeO works very hard to keep me home with the kids. I don't have extra $ to go and buy Vera Bradley items to match every outfit...or to match any outfit, for that matter. So, my little bag and umbrella were special to me bc FeO's mom was such a doll to think of me like that....little joys of life. Well, the Yellow Umbrellow with blue flowers has had a permanent home in our car beside my seat for the last 4 years. When it's cloudy, I stick it in my bag. It's come in very handy and it's such a cheerful little umbrella...did I mention it was sunny yellow with sky blue flowers....quite cheerful on a rainy day bouncing through a parking lot in the rain, hovering over three kids and their mom. Ok, you get the point. Special umbrella.

Tonight. We ate at Outback with my parents. We were celebrating!!! Daddy just finished his very last...his 42nd... radiation treatment. WOOHOO!!! I had the umbrella in the purse. It was cloudy, you know. After Outback, we went to Target.....shopped school clearance (among other things) and bought 5 bottles of glue for .15 each to make Flubber. Naturally, as we were in the checkout line, the bottom fell out....Deluge, thunder, lightening, wind, sideways rain. In minutes, the water was standing inches deep in the parking lot. FeO grabbed The Vera Bradley Yellow with Blue Flowers Umbrella and became the hero...dodging lightening strikes and rivers of water to drive the van to the door to pick us all up....and our sacks of glue and other various items. He handed me The Yellow Umbrellow after he got the kids in the car and let me get in with it. I laid The Wet Umbrella at my feet....Now, this is a rather small umbrella. It's not made for a storm such as the one tonight. It does better in little sprinkly rains.....not gallon bucket sized raindrops and sideways wind. After he threw the packages into the car, he leaned in and said....he said...he....he said...,"Give me The Umbrella!" I'm thinking he's already soaking wet and the bags are in the car....just GET IN. Again, he said rather loudly bc the rain was rather loud, "GIVE ME THE UMBRELLA!" "WHY?!" I asked as I was giving it to him. No answer...he just took the umbrella and turned and walked over to a lady. She was dressed in a gorgeous dress with high heels on...very attractive lady, mid 50s...The kind of lady that probably has Vera Bradley bags in every pattern with umbrellas to match....except she didn't have it tonight......And she looked like she was waiting on her hero to come pick her up, too. So, FeO walks to the lady and offers her my wet Vera Bradley Yellow with Blue Flowers Umbrella. I saw her immediately notice it was a Vera...and she tried to refuse it. He insisted. She refused again....prob bc she realized it would absolutely do her NO good in such a storm. He insisted again and walked away.....leaving My Yellow Umbrella with a stranger. A stranger who probably has 18 VB umbrellas and doesn't know how special MY VB Umbrella was. She looked at me and I half smiled and looked away as FeO hopped in the car. He said triumphantly, so proud of his good deed, "I just gave your umbrella away." Well, I had a choice. I could have said..."Wonderful honey. I know she'll appreciate having a nice yellow umbrella to help her get to her car without drowning." OR "THAT was my VERA BRADLEY Umbrella that your mother gave to me for my birthday 4 years ago and it was very special to me and not like it was from DG! You just gave away my special Yellow Umbrella. What WERE you thinking? Why didn't you ASK. We had ANOTHER umbrella in the car that was HUGE and would have at least kept her DRY. That Yellow Umbrella won't do her a bit of good." Please... don't be too disappointed in me....You can guess what happened. Well, FeO's response was, "I didn't know it was special. I'll buy you another one." That helped a little....Can you believe he's put up with me for 16 years???

The whole entire way home in the deluge and as we drove out of it, I was having a conversation with Father about that umbrella.....telling Him how unfair that was for FeO to give away something of mine without asking....and naturally, Father reminded me....like a million times...that it was just a THING. A non living object that has absolutely no eternal value. I know that. And why would I make this Yellow Umbrella become more important that FeO.....to the point of being nasty about it and showing no grace whatsoever...allow it to drive me almost to tears bc of the "injustice" I was served and drive a wedge b/t my dh and me. What in the world got into me!?!?!?!Stepped into stupid. Blech. I hate that flesh. Anyway, by the time we got home, I was better. And now I'm over it. It's just an umbrella....with a little u.