tormenta

"Tormenta," the Spanish word for 'storm,' describes the event beautifully. Storms torment us and often take us unaware. Sometimes they are predictable; other times they come on suddenly and without warning. Either way, they come.

All day yesterday and through the night, violent storms raced through the region. With dozens of tornadoes reported, baseball-sized hail, inches of cold, driving rain, and winds exceeding seventy miles per hour at times, it was enough to set your nerves on edge! On nights like that, it can be difficult to get to sleep and actually rest...it seems as though half of your mind and body stay alert...subconsciously listening for the warning sirens to sound again. After a night like that, you can wake up exhausted.

Nevertheless, I woke up early today. After putting the coffee on, I slipped outside to "survey the damage." The sky was still heavy with clouds, the trees dripping with rain drops. But, the wind was calm. I made my way to our little secret garden, to see how things looked there. Even in the dim light of early morning, everything was beautiful. I removed the drenched tablecloth from the table that Jerry had so lovingly built for this special space and hurried back to the house for towels to dry the chairs. Even without wind, the air was chilly, but not uncomfortable. I grabbed my robe, and checked on the coffee. The magnificent aroma wafting through the kitchen told me that it was ready. Filling my cup and a thermos, I headed to the garden.

I had barely gotten situated when I realized that the entire yard was filled with singing, happy birds. In every treetop, they sang out. What a beautiful chorus it was! Since I had already put fresh seed out for them, I knew they weren't just looking for breakfast, and that got me to thinking...

Where were they when the storms battered the area? And then it was all so clear: they were hunkered down in their nests, waiting for the storm to end...because they knew it would! And now was the time of rejoicing.

What a wonderful life-lesson! Yes, the storms will come, and some will be furious and tormenting, but there's no need to fear. All is well. Just hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. And even if the sun has not quite driven the cloudy curtain back...SING ANYWAY!!! 

The sun will come shining through those clouds of doubt and fear, and your world will be right again. It surely will. You have a heavenly Father who knows your name, and His love is unfailing, His mercy and grace beyond calculation...and even the birds know that!

"Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, or the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"  ~Jesus in Matthew 6 : 25,26, RSV