Unlike most people, I don’t like quiet. To me, it’s deafening. It’s like a silent roar in my ears. When I was young, there was this one time where the quiet wasn’t just uncomfortable, it was rather eerie.
It happened in May of 1981 when I was 16 years-old. My parents wanted to trade cars. Being one who isn’t into shopping for cars, I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t have a choice. As soon as my dad got in from work, we set out on our car shopping adventure. It felt as if we went to every car lot in Knoxville. Every time my dad saw a one he liked, my mom didn’t like it. Or my mom saw a one she liked; my dad didn’t like it. Needless to say, we didn’t trade that evening.
As we were driving around, we heard weather forecasts about storms for later that day. I was a little concerned since they were calling on some to be severe. My parents gave the same response they always did: “Ain’t nothing gonna happen.” I had heard that my whole life from them and my grandparents as well.
After we finally got back home, I jumped into the tub to take a bath. Since I like to soak, I took my time. After a few minutes, my mom knocked on the door. “Are you about done? You need to get out.” I knew by the tone of her voice that something was wrong. It didn’t take me but a couple of minutes to finish and get out. When I stepped out into the hallway, I my mom and Mamaw Jo. Mamaw wasn’t afraid of storms, so if she was at our house that late, it meant she was ready to go into the basement.
My dad and Papaw E.O. were sitting on the front porch steps. Even though it was dark, they were keeping an eye to the sky. When I stepped out to join them, it was like walking into the twilight zone. It was a quiet I had never before experienced. For one, there was no sound at all. No tree frogs. No insects. No dogs barking. Nothing. My brain kept telling me it wasn’t right. Also, everything was still. No leaves were rustling. There was not wind. I felt scared and out of place. Goose bumps ran down my spine.
My dad thought he saw a rotation in the clouds, so we all went down to the basement. It was so unsettling. After a few minutes, Daddy and Papaw opened the basement door and stepped out onto the steps. They didn’t see anything else.
“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Exodus 20:18 (KJV)
Isn’t it amazing when God makes noise? If I had been an Israelite, I would have been terrified too, but I probably would have enjoyed it at the same time. That’s the amazing thing about Him. He can do so much in the stillness of our hearts and yet He can command Earth and Heaven to make noise to show His greatness.
Are wondering if we saw a tornado that evening? We didn’t, but one did touch down in the Karns community. You know, back in those days, doppler radar wasn’t invented yet. That makes me wonder if there really was a rotation above us that the radars at the time didn’t pick up. Only God knows that one.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.