The heart is racing out of control… Will this ever end?

Over the past week, I have been posting stories shared by others, including my own, in remembrance of the February 22, 2011 quake. I originally had scheduled a different post for today, but in just a few seconds, my little world in Christchurch, New Zealand has been flipped upside down.

Yesterday, only just over a week from the 5-year anniversary, a 5.7 quake struck, with the epicenter only 15 km east of Christchurch at a depth of 15 km.

My heart raced out of control as I pushed my chair away from my desk and dove for cover. I could hear my daughter screaming from the back of the house, but we've been through quakes before. You don't move until it's over. So I just yelled, "Get into a doorway." So too did my son.

My nerves are shot once again. It doesn't help that we are coming up to the 5-year anniversary of the scariest day of my life. And the fact that I've been thinking about that day a lot lately, in part with the "Share Your Stories" series, is not helping either.

But one thing that has made me so proud is seeing how my son has taken it upon himself to look after both myself and his younger sister. Both of us were scared as anything with this 5.7 quake. But my son has moved into "do what needs to be done to protect things that can break, and distract my sister" mode. Bless him.

The real issue with any quake is that you have absolutely no control. All you can do is ride it out and deal with the aftermath.

Right... I'm still shaking, and I'm starting to ramble, so I'm leaving this post here. Hopefully, tomorrow I will feel strong enough to resume the "Share Your Stories" series. Here's hoping that I survive the emotional roller-coaster that I'm currently on.

If you have a story that you would like to share, I want to hear it. Visit here for more information on Project Share Your Stories.