Storm Door

(pre-rattail annihilation)

In Amityville, any upgrade seems to make a world of difference. Our landlord is an extremely nice guy, so when he recently mentioned having a storm door installed on our backdoor, I didn’t read too much into it. I mean, a dryer that actually dries or a stove with a full set of functioning burners would’ve been higher on my list of “wants,” but I wasn’t going to complain. :) However, when Ryan pointed out the scratch marks Oscar and Olive have left on the backdoor (since they’re unaccustomed to being dog-door-less), I realized why our landlord opted for a storm door and sheepishly withdrew my previous thoughts about dryers and stoves.

So the storm door went in, and at first it really annoyed me. Really, it was just another door to open when letting the dogs in and out.

Then, in an unexpected turn of events, my heart softened. You see, as E.V.’s schedule allows for more and more play time, I’ve struggled finding things for her to do. One evening I had left the backdoor open, and as she pulled herself up to gaze out of the storm door, it was as if her little world was opening up. She stood there for almost 30 minutes, banging on the glass and babbling to the birds outside. Now it’s become part of our nightly ritual. After her bath, before her bottle, she spends a little time gazing out of her door, observing the dusky world outside. In those moments she has no care for anything else, and so I’m granted the privilege of seeing her completely enthralled and entranced by God’s creation. It’s awesome.

So, dear landlord, thank you for the storm door and for the unexpected joy it’s brought to Emma Vance’s life–and to mine.