Boom!

26 years ago, right about exactly now, I was a fourth-grader growing up in Everett, WA. It was a Sunday morning; I was in my parents' bed. We'd been debating getting up for church, and they'd both fallen back asleep. As I remember, the sound was an eerie, disembodied boom, coming from somewhere but not in the house. My mom jerked awake.

"What's that?!"
"It's the cats," mumbled my dad, as he rolled over and went back to sleep.

May 18, 1980, 8:32 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time. We found out very soon that the disembodied boom had been Mount St. Helens, about three hours to the south.

I honor the 57 people who died that day, and all who risked their lives to save others.

Mother Nature is stronger than all of us. Care for this earth.