Safe Havens

Last night the wind was pretty intense, and it got me thinking that there is really no better place during storm than snuggled under a warm and cozy duvet... We recently replaced the roof on our old converted chapel, so now I can lay in bed listening to the hammering of the rain (when it DOES bloody rain) on the tin roof. I also love to watch the electrical storms out to sea - switch off all the lights in the lounge and be mesmerised by the light show on the horizon.
What is that feeling of contentment? How good does it feel to know that you're safe and warm, protected from all life can throw at you...
The memory that most perfectly encapsulates this concept of safe haven occurred in 1998. It had poured and poured and Wollongong was flooded. The roads were cut off; the train line was washed away; half of Bulli Pass ended up at the bottom of the mountain. I was working in Sydney, MrB working from home. The train crawled from Central, taking 2 hours to get to Waterfall where we were all unceremoniously dumped! Luckily I could go stay at my parents' place - most of the other unlucky commuters ended up staying overnight in a hall in Heathcote. The next evening Dad & I found a window of opportunity and dashed down the freeway which had opened for a whole hour before being closed again. It was dark, it was freezing, it was still raining... We got to our lovely old Federation cottage and stumbled in the door... MrB had cooked cottage pie and we all sat around the open fire - comfort food on our lap, red wine by our feet, the drumming of the rain on the roof, the warmth of the fire on our faces. A true safe haven.