I'm okay, are you okay?

This is my sweet six-year-old.  I took this picture in our backyard last Fall.  I chose it for the blog today because this is the look in his eyes that I see more often than any other.  He is afraid.  Of Everything!  This breaks my heart.  As soon as the sun begins to set, he becomes very emotional and scared.  "Please stay with me...with your arm over me...so I can go to sleep."  he says each night.  Last night was no exception.  I stayed with him in his bed until he fell asleep.  By the middle of the night, he was standing near my bed, shaking, and begging to climb in.  Of course I let him.  Every parenting book might disagree with me, but I don't care.  He is afraid, and I can provide comfort.  I will not withhold that from him.  So, he sleeps beside me.  It is the only way either of us can get any rest.  My mind is filled with thoughts as I watch him sleep.  Will he ever know a night without fear?  Why, out of an entire subdivision, did our home get hit?  How will this impact who he becomes?
This morning, I was trying to stay asleep.  He was chatting 60 miles an hour.  And then there was silence.  It only lasted for a few seconds.  But, he leaned over, grabbed my neck in a tight hug and said, "I'm so glad you didn't die in the tornado."  "Me too, buddy."  I said.  "I'm glad we are all okay."  But, "OKAY" has a different definition than it has ever had before.  I used to think that "okay" meant everything was perfect.  Now, I know that you can be "okay" and still in pain.  He may be scared.  But we are both here to say, "I love you."  And that is a gift.  That keeps us walking forward.  I hold him when he's scared and God holds us both.
And we are going to need that extra strength in the coming months when the forecasters excitedly exclaim,
We're going to have some severe weather!"  To them, it is a chance to chase some exciting weather.  For us, it means paralyzing fear.  We are now the proud owners of a seriously expensive NOAA weather radio alert system.  We sat around programming it last night.  We're ready if the predicted weather hits on Sunday night into Monday.  We have the volume up so high that our neighbors will hear it.  Please continue to pray for us. Physical wounds heal, houses get rebuilt.  But, healing the fear is more complex.  Thank you for your continued support of us!  We treasure each call, text, meal and visit from each of you.