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| Cathy when she was a young girl |
And then the sky darkened and
my schedule suddenly changed. I looked at the radar on my computer and it
showed me that there was a heavy band of thundershowers heading my direction. I
decide to shut all of the windows of the house so that I wouldn’t be distracted
when the rain finally arrived.
I went back to my writing
when all of a sudden the skies became as dark as midnight on a cloudy night and
the winds began to howl interrupted only by the lighting that boomed its way
through our neighborhood.
I decided that it was
probably safer for me to not stay in my office on the third floor of our
house so I shut off the window air conditioner and the computer and headed
downstairs to get a better look outside.
I made a cup of tea and watched
the rain through the screen door on the enclosed porch of my house; grateful
that my lawn and gardens were receiving some much needed water. I was also
grateful that the week before had been clear skies and hot weather as my family
and I spent some much needed time at the family cabin on vacation.
The rain became (almost) as
ferocious as a blizzard as the winds whirled in all directions dumping around
an inch of water in about twenty minutes as it pelted ALL sides of the house
(North, South, East, and West!). I was glad that I had taken the time to close
all of the windows.
I looked at one of neighbor’s
roofs and saw the intensity of the rain totally shoot the water past the new
gutters that he had installed just the day before. I also pondered whether or
not to bring in the recycling knowing that all of the newspapers were becoming
statured as the tub filled up with water.
As I stood, drinking my tea
and watching the winds and driving rain continue to pelt the house in all
directions, I thought of Cathy. It was because of her influence on my life that
I was taking time to watch the rain instead of writing. She had made me like
the rain.
She is one who enjoys all of
the seasons that we have in Minnesota; whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’. She enjoys
when the skies darken and bellow out rain like an angry sea, or when the snow
piles up and elements the landscape are no longer visible.
Through her delight in the
multiple facets of weather that we have, I learned to also stop and watch and
enjoy God’s beauty on display. I have learned to rejoice in whatever weather I
find in my path; whether that be in the comfort of a house, a car, or even in a
kayak on the lake as white caps fill the vessel with water threatening to
capsize it.
As the Scriptures say;
“Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let
the skies pour down righteousness, Let the earth open, let them bring forth
salvation, And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it” (Isaiah 45:8
NKJV)
“Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn, play music on your instruments to God, Who
fills the sky with clouds, preparing rain for the earth, then turning
the mountains green with grass, feeding both cattle and
crows.” (Psalm 147:7-9 MSG)
Seeing storms through her eyes I am learning over the years to rejoice in no matter what hits me, the 'storms' that pelt my life in so many directions and situations.
She made me like the rain and so I sat down in one of the wicker chairs on our porch and enjoyed this ‘interruption’ to my schedule as I drank my tea.
New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible, New King James Version
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
