The Greater Your Storm, The Brighter Your Rainbow

I don’t know about you, but I have mixed feelings about summer storms.

When I’m lying in my bed at night and a big storm comes in, I love it. As I listen to the thunder roll, the rain pound down, and watch the lightning show through my bedroom window, I feel so blessed to be safe and cozied up inside my home. 

Sometimes we like to sit out on our front porch and watch the storm.

 They can be so beautiful and being close enough to feel the energy (while staying safe) is literally electrifying. 

Yesterday was a sunny, hot day here in Maryland. My husband, Mike and I had gone out to run a few errands when just as I put the groceries in the back seat of the truck, the sky suddenly turned gray and dumped on us.

We got home and as he ran one way with the groceries to the house, a crack of lightning popped over his head midway across the driveway, causing him to jump.

I ran up to my office over the garage to finish some work and looked out at what had now become a dark and ominous sight.

I watched as the wind blew chaotically and the raindrops slammed against the window.

As the rain clinged to the window screen for dear life, it gave me the feeling that those drops were so relieved to land there and ride out the storm. Some raindrops made it, and some didn’t.

I was reminded of when I used to travel for work all the time and how much I disliked flying in summer more than winter because in my experience, the delays were worse and summer travel was always much more frustrating to me.

I’ve never had any proof that my hypothesis was true beyond my own experience, so I asked my former husband who is an aviation consultant and an expert on all things air-travel related, if it was in fact true that there are more travel delays in the summer than the winter.

Here’s what he texted me:

It depends on the airport and the location. In general, we have more delays in the summer than the winter.

Summer storms typically move faster than winter storms, creating problems quicker and causing what seems like a slower response by airlines in summer than in winter.

In winter, airlines can cancel prior to big winter storms helping to alleviate delays…and some frustration.

Well, look at that would ya’? Confirmation.

As I read this text from him, it reminded me of yesterday’s storm. It seemingly came out of nowhere, just like so many things in life do.

No warning. No time to plan.

I walked out to our back patio after the storm where an umbrella and table had been blown over and oddly, a large flower pot had been blown off a wall and was laying in the grass.

I looked down and the whole middle of this gorgeous rust-colored coleus had been broken off when it landed.

I talked to the flowers as I always do, picking up the pieces of broken stems and torn up leaves to take inside and put in water.

Mike helped me put the pot back on the wall and as we turned to look around for any more damage, we looked up into the sky and there was a huge, bright rainbow, and the sun was peeking out from the clouds and shining down on us.

Yep, I know this is very cliché, the rainbow and all, but that’s okay with me.

I get calls from people who are struggling now in all kinds of ways. And while struggle is pretty normal in life, it’s feeling particularly heavy for many right now.

People have lost and are losing their people, their jobs, their health, and more. When they call me, there is often nothing I can say or do for them, other than to just hold the space the best that I can.

I am always confident they will make it to the other side of their pain and heartache, and my personal belief is that everything is always happening for us, but I don’t always say that to them in the moment.

When storms come, they wash away the dust and they move the fear, sadness, grief, anger, and disappointment through us when we allow them to do so.

And after the chaotic surge of wind, rain, tears, and pain is washed away, what follows is the quiet catharsis of the calm after the storm.

And then, eventually, when we least expect it, the rainbow shows up in the sky.

Just for you.