Storms

My husband loves thunderstorms. Sitting on the porch during a storm is one of his favorite things to do. As for me, I have a childhood memory that makes me somewhat afraid of storms. At the first clap of thunder, my grandmother would turn off all the lights in the house and gather us next to her on the sofa. Whenever she heard a clap of thunder, she would let out a blood-curdling scream.

Lesson to young grandchildren: Be terrified of thunderstorms.

So thunderstorms tend to frighten me to this day. Yet, there is something very cleansing about a thunderstorm pelting the earth with rain. When it’s over, there is a sense of calm, maybe even a rainbow. And that always reminds me that storms don’t last forever. There is a calm after every storm that brings a kind of peace in me. Perhaps it is just relief that the storm has ended and everyone is safe.

And then there is the reality that storms of the soul do often threaten us, but they, too, come to an end, leaving us with a grateful heart that we survived yet again.