storm

The weather?! Really??!

Yeah, really. I’m blogging about the weather. What else do you talk about when you have nothing to talk about?

Actually, I’m writing about the weather because in my little corner of Ontario, we’ve had this unbelievable stretch of sunny days. I can’t remember the last time it rained. In fact, even on the days that weren’t perfectly sunny, there’s been no precipitation. On the one hand, I love that because it makes it super-easy to get out for a walk with the puppy. There’s no prep (her raincoat, my raincoat, rainboots) needed and there’s no clean up afterwards (muddy paws, wet belly to wipe…I AM talking about the dog, people!).

On the other hand, there IS such a thing as too much of a good thing. After a time, the ground becomes hard, the plants suffer, there is danger of fires. I have friends who have been praying for rain because they were not able to get into their church camp due to forest fires.

A day of rain probably means I’ll have to forgo my beloved summer clothes (really, I adore tank tops and shorts and flip flops…I am, apparently, a minimalist when it comes to clothing). It probably means I’ll have to remember to bring Koski’s rain jacket down from my bedroom before our morning walk. It probably means I won’t be eating dinner out on the front porch with my friends in Oshawa tomorrow evening. I could look at it as a bad thing.

But a day of rain means other things, too. It means I will be cozy in my car as I drive to Oshawa (I love driving in the rain). It means that the forests will be less likely to catch fire. It means that the flower and trees will flourish.

Most situations are just like this: they have their good points and their bad points. You could look on them as a blessing or a curse. You could see the positive or the negative in them.

I think God calls us to see the blessing rather than the curse. When we focus on the negative, we rob ourselves (and those around us) of joy. And we are called to live joyfully.

I love that old saying “Life is not about avoiding the storm, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” And that is just what I plan to do tomorrow!

I love a good storm…

When I was 6 years old, I was in a tornado, up at my Grandparents’ cottage north of Thunder Bay. For years and years after that I’ve been pretty leery of severe weather. But somewhere in my late twenties, I suddenly found I wasn’t panicking at the sight of dark thunder heads anymore. Now, I will admit that if the wind starts to whip, I keep an eye on it. I’m not totally over my fear of thunderstorms, but what used to paralyze me no longer does.

That’s kind of neat. I like to think that God has done a lot to heal me of that fear.

These days I enjoy a good storm. I love the sound of the rolling thunder and heavy rain. I love the hiss of car tires as they drive over wet streets. I love the flash of lightening. I love the clean scent of the air after the rain, and the way that the sun shines differently making the world look washed and new.

Sometimes, you need a good storm. The day has been too humid and muggy, the air needs to be cleared. and the storm when it comes brings with it a sense of release and relief. I think it’s the same in life. Things have been a little messy and muggy and humid in my life recently, but I feel like a storm has blown through, and the air is clear again.

I was remarking to a colleague and friend at lunch that April was not a good month. She smiled and said “Yeah, but now it’s May.” And I found myself grinning in response. Yes. It is May. A new month.

The storm has come, and the air is clean. Thank God!