Thursday, April 14, 2011

The calm before the storm...

I have always marveled at the fact that just when things seem to be going smoothly, something crazy hits and chaos ensues.  At a different time in my life I would not be saying I was marveling, but at this point, that is what I do.  I used to always look for the 'other shoe to drop' when things were going well.  Now, it is different.  I hate to say it, but the change is definitely because I have grown older.  I think it is also because I am beginning to realize that the storms are not always a bad thing.

Some of you know that I am terrified of massive thunderstorms.  This fear was instilled way in the depths of my soul when I was very young.  Although my memory is not complete, I have still pictures that flash into my brain of scenes of my family reacting to tornadoes, or other extreme storms moving through.  I have memories of feelings of panic in my chest  of that eerie quiet, and ominous color that overtook the sky just prior to the menacing clouds and winds that appeared.  I have always feared that if I was not alert I would not have time to react.  I would worry that I would not be able to protect the ones that I love.  To this day,  that particular quiet before the storm still sends shivers up and down my spine.

The metaphor is the one I have grown no longer to dread.

It is a very rare day in the life of the Anderson household that something does not arise which may need immediate attention, or that requires me to perform superhero like feats.  Until recently I wondered why, oh why is it always like this in my home?  When the home was quiet, and all seemed well, I would immediately start wondering when that other shoe was going to drop on my head.  What a waste of peaceful beautiful moments!

What I have come to realize as of late, is that those storms were polishing me like a river does a stone.  They were and are polishing my children.  They are taking out the rough edges and turning us into something smooth and pleasing, bringing out the gem that we were created to be.  The calm... well, that is our time to refresh, rest, and rejuvenate so that we have the energy to take on the storm.

The last few days have definitely been beautiful and calm.  I am basking in the opportunity to recharge and then to be polished some more.  I am counting on being a precious gem when all is said and done.

What are you experiencing right now?  If it is a storm, then know that you are being polished.  If it is the quiet.... smile and know that you have just recently been polished!

God Bless You!

No comments:

Post a Comment