Stormy Days

It is a beautifully stormy day.  At 10 AM the sky is dark and gray.  As I look out my window I can see my kids' outdoor toys blowing around our backyard as if waiting for someone to save them.  Even though I know that I will have a mess of balls, pool toys, water guns and a bubble blowing lawn mower to clean up I could not be more delighted.

I love stormy days.  They have such a majestic appeal.

Thunderstorms are usually not long lasting.  They come with a raucous roar and they exit in the same bold manner.  Afterwards,  the sky usually becomes crystal blue with a brightly shining sun.  Other than the puddles that were left behind there is no evidence of the drama that just took place.

I have come to realize that my life is much like weather.  Sometimes there are stormy days.  Sometimes the sun shines so brightly that its warmth reaches all the way into my soul.  There are also those days when several thunderstorms join together creating a hurricane that knocks me off my feet with torrential downpours that soak me to my core.  Those days are the worst and fortunately, the most infrequent.

To my dismay there is no supernatural weatherman who can accurately forecast the elements for me.  There is no way to ever be completely prepared for the weather that may ensue.  With that key fact in mind, I have learned to simply always carry an umbrella with me and not to deliberately stand in the way of forceful winds and lightning bolts.  I appreciate the splendor of nature and  I keep in mind that even the most "menacing" storms are only temporary.

I am learning to accept the natural course of things and see the beauty in it all.