This morning when the thunderstorms blew in, I decided to venture out to my garage, pull up a lawn chair and watch the rains come. Our family has always loved the storms. Probably not always the smartest move, but when huge thunder and lightening storms hit, we are not taking cover. We are almost magnetized by the light of the storm and the sounds of the blistering winds and crackling rain. We love to look at the multifude of lights, and while most might take cover, we look it squarely in the face. There is a peacefulness in all the sights and sounds. If you want to delve further, I have found myself thinking of God, and thanking Him for the waters that give growth and cleansing to our earth, washing away the dirt, cooling the surface.
My son, Luke, has always been enthralled with thunderstorms and natural disasters, especially tornados. He does have a fascination with tsunamis and hurricanes, but his passion is the tornado, and he could tell you every type of tornado that exists. The other day he talked of when he grows up, he wants to follow the tornados. I had to chuckle to myself, as we all have aspirations for our children, but a storm chaser never entered my mind. If that's what he chooses, and it's an honest, exciting profession, then so be it. Insane but exciting, I suppose someone has to do it. All I want for my children is for them to be happy, follow their passions in life and become honest citizens of this great country of ours. My husband and I have questioned his love of the weather, not in a bad way, but why the fascination with natural disasters? It never dawned on me how much I am fascinated by them as well. Perhaps it's genetic. Is that even possible? There is so much I have learned about myself through my children; discovering my strengths, weaknesses and even my deepest fears.
Thinking back during my childhood years, I remember a birthday party at my house. Mom was attending to the party, making everything just right. She was dressed in her cool dress with the leather boots and a frilly white or pink apron. My heart-shaped birthday cake was sitting on a pedestal cake tray that turned with some sort of music. My birthday was three day after Valentine's Day so generally the heart cake was always a staple at my birthday parties. Nothing but the best for her kids was Betty's way. Mom wanted to be a Mrs. Clever type when it came to entertaining and the food that was prepared. It always had to be perfect. It was a perfect day for a birthday party. Something tells me I was in kindergarten, but I could have been older. The rains eventually came, and there I was on our carport while everyone else was scrambling to take cover inside the house. We didn't have a garage in those days, but a roof that covered part of our driveway that we called a carport. You don't hear that word carport much anymore, do you? There I was, staring out at the lightening and thunder. Some of our guests were crying and horrified, but I loved it! It didn't occur to me to be frightened, even at that age of six or seven. I like when the storms rumble in and the rains increase from sprinkles to showers to a down pour and people run for cover frantically, sometimes laughing. Watching the other kids seemed confusing for me because in my eyes, the rains were safe, and I knew they wouldn't last forever. Now, don't get me wrong, when we have those immense loud, almost house shaking kind of storms, those can freak me out, but I'm talking a little lightening, thundering and heavy showers. I welcome them, and it's sort of how life is, isn't it.
We can be fearful of the storms in our life, but they are inevitible, just as the rains and storms in nature. We have to face them, walking or running, but we have to face them, and in the end, when all is said and done.....it's for an ultimate purpose. I have learned that most of all during this journey of breathing life, riding the storms. Think of the storms in your own life. If you avoid them, they're still going to surface if we don't face them head on. I am not encouraging anyone to stand under a tree or row a boat during a thunderstorm, but I am encouraging myself and you to look at your own life, with family and friends and complete strangers, and see your part in the storms that are presented. I continue to see the rainbows as well as the lightening and damaging winds through all of life's ups and downs. I hope you will, too.
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
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