"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin
I confess. I love stormy weather. Storms have both beauty and purpose. They are elements of nature and represent earth’s capacity to maintain and restore her balance. Earth needs the clearing and the moisture that storms bring.
And, so do we, the inhabitants of earth. We depend on earth’s storms as part of the natural cycle that provides food, warmth, shelter. We relish the freshness in the air when a storm has passed and the quiet stillness before a storm arrives.
We need storms in our personal lives, individually and collectively. We need them to wake us up personally, to give us the opportunity to return to what we know and to glimpse fresh perspectives from that place of knowing. We need to experience storms as a part of living and experimenting on this journey of life. And, we need tears to cleanse that which lays heavy in our hearts as well as that which creates worry at the surface.
Our opportunity is to embrace the storms of life from a place of love and trust. Not fear.
You’ve probably guessed that, I’ve experienced stormy weather this week. Although there’s a spring storm brewing high in the mountains as I write this, my storm was intensely personal. In the midst of my storm, there were times that I felt powerless in its wrath and times where I knew that I could turn it off and return to my ‘to do list/plan for the week’. I chose to ride the storm and discover what gifts she might offer.
In this ride I shed tears for the planet and hugged trees that seemed to return my embrace. I shed tears for humanity, for the misunderstandings that divide us and the horror and pain those misunderstandings bring forth. My tears were a cleansing gift. I pray that in some way, large or small, they help me understand that I am not separate from any other, from the planet, from the universe. I pray that the choices I make from that deeper understanding will seed greater understanding in my community and beyond.
Along the way I found a beautiful rock, heart-shaped, a symbolic gift of the love that is ever present. I rediscovered what I care about in life, and I renewed my courage to live fully the life that is uniquely mine to live as my part in the unfolding mystery we call life.
Exploration for the Week: How have the personal storms in your life supported your growth? Is there a storm brewing that has the possibility for new growth or a fresh perspective in some area of your life?
