I'm talking about the storms that come and threaten to take more than your home and belongings, but your sanity, dignity, and maybe even your life.
As I sit here in North Georgia listening to the winds of Irma beating my house, wondering how we're even having this problem when we're not even near the ocean, I can't help but think about the storms I have experienced; past and present.
Like natural disasters, the storms that come into our lives can be minor, or so big they last longer or impact more people around you than you'd anticipated they would.
The storms can often be seen coming so that we can better prepare. We can try to anticipate the damage, how long they'll last... We can prepare by buying food, batteries, flashlights... We can board up the windows then get into our basements with plans to ride it out.
What's interesting is that when you see the storm coming you only have two options, either you evacuate or you ride it out. Storms don't really give us much of a buffet of choices. Often our personalities, determination, or how we feel about our possessions we'd be leaving behind are what determine whether or not we ride it out or run. Neither option is really the right or wrong one, but there's only two and when that storm is on the way, it gives you no choice but to choose one--and you'd better choose quick.
Just like our own personal storms, there are so many types--tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tropical storms, tsunamis... Countless storms and natural disasters just like the ones that can come into your life like a whirlwind just when the sun seems to be shining so brightly on you.
The one thing that all of these storms have in common is that THEY DO NOT LAST. When was the last time you've seen a never ending hurricane or an endless twister? Yes, some may last longer than others and some feel like they'll never end... but eventually they all do. It is this knowledge that helps us to cope through each of life's storms and somehow come out stronger after each one is over.
After the storm we tend to band together, helping one another, rebuilding, starting new. In most cases it is almost refreshing. Most importantly, life goes on. There is life after the storm.
So whether you're dealing with some really crazy storms in your life right now, or you're literally battling an act of nature, the most important thing to remember is that this too shall pass.
Once you get through this part that seems impossible to see beyond--the pain, the turmoil, the devastation... it will end. The sun will shine again. And perhaps you'll learn a thing or two; maybe be better prepared for whatever life throws at you next. The fact is, you can look forward to an end eventually. So stay strong and know your sun will shine again... after the storm.
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