Every storm runs out of rain. – Maya Angelou
It’s hurricane season, and with it comes the usual wind,
rain, storm surge, and flooding. Where a few weeks ago the temperatures felt
like an audition for moving hell to the earth’s surface, now there is water
everywhere, without a drop to drink – unless it is boiled. There is a problem
there too. Winds frequently knock out power for stoves, air conditioners, and
water pumps. The issue of drought becomes a problem of too much contaminated
water. What’s that old saying? It never rains, but it pours? Tell that to the
people of Pakistan, India, and other countries worldwide where water is needed,
but not in the quantities it is receiving. Even some folks in our own country
are feeling the punch.
This is Noah-type weather, producing the rain God sent to
clean up the earth and the people who created the mess. That was how the people
of the time saw it. They laughed at Noah for building this massive ship in his
backyard, especially in a climate where rain wasn’t all that common. Then the
rain started and continued for 40 days and nights. What a mess!
I lived in the Philippines during several typhoons, one of whom
came from the south of our area to the north, stopped, turned around, came back
through, then stopped and turned around again. It finally continued north and
out to sea. It was monsoon season to boot, so all in all, we had 40 days of
rain. We didn’t need an ark, but we had to have supplies flown in to replenish
our small commissary. Most of the roads going anywhere and the bridges crossing
over the rivers and creeks were washed out. I met a lady here in Phoenix whose
son was a Navy pilot who lost his plane in the South China Sea during that
typhoon. He was lucky to survive.
Humongous rain storms (and hurricanes) happen, often in
unexpected and unprepared places. Places like the far east have massive floods
nearly every monsoon season. In contrast, we here in the US have a few
hurricanes a year, most of them dangerous and causing danger and damage, but
not all of them tearing whole towns apart and damaging cities as well. The
damage inconveniences us, but sooner rather than later, we (and our insurance
carriers) recover. It is something like Maya Angelou said, “Every storm runs
out of rain.”
Life is like that. There are times when it seems that
nothing goes right. We feel like we’re drowning in flood waters, hanging on to
a board that used to be part of our house. Last week was like that for me. One rotten
thing was that a member of our Education for Ministry (EfM) group came into
class to tell us the bad news that his wife was dying of cancer. It was heart-wrenching,
and even though expected, it was very tragic and sad for all of us. She died
that night, and our prayers continue for him and his family. The second rotten
thing was one of my boys (my cats) losing an eye to globular rupture, requiring
emergency surgery (and a huge bill). The third was discovering a few medical
things that have surfaced on my chart. I could manage each one if it occurred
alone. It all felt like defensive players all piling up on an offensive player
trying to cross the one-yard line to score a goal in football. I did a lot of
praying last week, but that’s when prayer seems most needed – and done.
This week seems like the rain is slowing, if not stopping. Sooner
or later, all rainstorms move away or run out of water to send downward. The
same goes for personal disasters and the like. As long as I remember to pray
for strength and courage, I usually come out a little stronger and a little
wiser from having gone through the experiences. That doesn’t mean I won’t have something
else happen tomorrow, but for now, I can breathe a bit easier. The cat is
recovering nicely. My EfM friend seems to be coping and knows we are all there
for him in thoughts, prayers, and, if necessary, in person. There’s nothing
much I can do about the medical stuff for a little while, so I’ve been asking
God to help me get through it.
I’m looking for the rainbow at the end of the storm. There
almost always is one somewhere. There was a double one over Winsor Castle when
the Queen died, so I’m taking that as a sign she arrived in Heaven and was
reunited with her beloved husband and family. I don’t want to live to be 96, but
I’d like to have a rainbow show up when I finally go.
I’ve learned from Maya’s quote to always keep an umbrella in
the car, just in case.
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