Michelle is a given name, originally a variant of Michèle, the French feminine form of Michel, derived from the Hebrew name Michael meaning “Who is like God”. I think angel would be more appropriate.
When we were young, I’m guessing four to six (ish). Our family spent time cruising Puget Sound and Lake Washington. The memories are not clear but maybe what my mind has decided they were after all these years.
There was a bit of a storm that forced us to leave our boat somewhere south. In an attempt to bring the boat home, dad, his good friend Johnny and us kids set out to get the boat home. Seems to me it was the next day, the storm had eased but was still pretty bad, waves as big as our little boat and the rain driving down with little visibility.
I remember the very real concern that we did not have enough fuel to complete the journey. We were scared, crying and Dad was busy keeping the boat upright. Between sobs, singing “rain rain go away…”.
I can vividly remember Michele leading us, Mark and I, in prayer. My earliest memory of her natural spirituality. We made it home safely to tell the tale over the years but what stands out, It seems she had been consoling us, even in her extreme discomfort.
And now, I feel an inexplicable comfort in the loss of my hero, she has been comforting me with seemingly little regard to her own comfort. An act of an angel.
micheleplumbstowell.org 