This weekend I went through three different kinds of weather. First, I got to sit on a balcony in Florida and enjoy a warm balmy breeze and a calm blue sea. Sea gulls and sandpipers stood in the sand, their feathers ruffling against the warm wind. A few early risers walked along the beach, bending now and then to search for perfect shells. Later that night, the wind picked up and the next morning, the sky was an unpredictable gray, the waters a bit more choppy and dark. A storm was rolling in off the gulf. By late afternoon, the wind roared across the beach, sending umbrellas flying and causing tourists to grab their towels to keep them warm. During the night, the storm hit, the sound of an angry, slashing rain warring with the crash of waves plummeting the coast. Sunday morning was cold and wet. On the trip home, we ran into snow flurries along the Interstate, and this after the first day of spring. The temperature was hovering in the high thirties. My vision of a calm sea and a warm sunshine seemed so far away. A beautiful day, a stormy night and a change in temperature that produced pretty flakes of falling snow. All in one weekend. Is it no wonder that Mother Nature is considered a woman? She has many moods and she is a constant surprise to us. I think this is a metaphor for how we stumble through life. Some days are calm and pleasant. Others are stormy and dark. Some days are chilly and amazing--how can each snowflake be so different and yet so beautiful when tossed together in a snow drift? The good news is that each day, regardless of the weather, is a chance to renew our souls and get through our own storms. I wonder, have you ever been caught in a real storm when you also had a storm of troubles in your life? How did you handle that situation?
