“Changes in attitudes, changes in latitudes” doesn’t always lead to Margharitaville. In this case, it seemed to be leading to Oz, or a close encounter of the Dorothy/Toto kind. I was innocently checking the online forecast to choose the best day to go to the Zoo, when one of those nasty red exclamations showed up on the screen. WARNING! WARNING! It seemed a whole plethora of nasty things was headed my way. Severe storms, golf ball size hail, microbursts, but the one that sent my little Ozometer into overdrive was Tornadoes. They were predicting the kind that lingers and carves a name for itself instead of popping back into the clouds. Yikes!
I was feeling a certain vulnerability being new to this place, and the only one in the house with a toddler under my care, but yea for God who is the best at calming me down at these times. I try to read a few chapters in the Bible each morning, and where did I happen to be yesterday? In Mark, right at the part where Jesus calms the storm. (Mark4: 35-41). I, being human was reacting pretty much like the apostles did in that story. “YIKES”, we were all saying. Jesus, being God, was not going “Yikes” but instead, with a word, calmed the storm. Now watching the wind and waves come to a halt at his command, seemed to make them go “Double Yikes!” but then he said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”. Again, that is a little easier for him to say, and I know he understands that we are only human and are often afraid, but it was the calming thing I needed to hear. So waiting out the night when this storm would hit wasn’t so bad.
Around 1:30 AM is when the storm really came charging through, but then it was just with wild wind and thunder and lightening but not the, lift-your-house-and-dump-it-on-a-witch, kind of wind. Thank you God! The lightning showed how tossed about the branches were and I half expected many of them to be down this morning, but only the ones that were already dead were strewn about. A good job of pruning God! I remember reading somewhere how trees that had to contend with wind had much stronger roots, as though doing these wind-bending exercises strengthened them. It was generally the trees that had led a pampered, windless, existence that were the first to snap in a storm. Seems a pretty apt parable there for life too doesn’t it? All the promises that, as hard as difficult times are, they often result in a stronger person. Stronger in faith, stronger in character. So, I believe my first Sunday sermon came from the trees surrounding the house.
And was it glorious today? Indeed, a world washed clean of pollen, and with temps in the high 70’s,the 20-30 mph winds that linger still, made for sheer delight as Elena and I took her stroller to a park that borders the Lake (hmm think it is a dammed up part of the river). 2 miles of up and down paved trails with this incomparable view of sparkling river/lake with the Smokies as a back drop. I know my daughter and husband are having a wonderful time in Germany, but you know, this Nona is having a pretty grand time here herself. Most everything is in leaf here now and the trail was bordered on one side by huge sycamores and on the riverside by flowering honeysuckle. So many people were walking dogs that I felt like I was in a Sesame St. moment teaching, big dog/small/dog, white dog/black dog. Look a polka dot dog! So is the Glory of God all around me? Absolutely, and I hope wherever you are, you have seen it around you too.
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