The Storm

The Storm

I’m sitting here listening to the storm outside. The rain is pelting everything it touches with fury and without mercy. The trees sway as their branches bend harshly and unnaturally as though they may break at any given moment.  The thunder shakes the foundation of my house and rattles all who are inside. The lightning illuminates the darkness for a brief moment. A random bird can be heard calling in the distance no doubt trying to find shelter in this the relentless downpour. The tornado siren is screaming to make sure all are aware of the danger that could await us. My dogs howl along in protest of the loud, piercing noise.

Life right now feels like being in the midst of this storm. Everything is shaking around me. It’s relentless. Unsettling. It demands to be heard, and there is nowhere to go to hide from it. I don’t know what it wants. I don’t know how to open myself up to whatever this storm wants to bring to me. I don’t even want to delve into the darkness that it brings, but it seems I have no choice. The storm isn’t going anywhere. The only way out of it is through it.

Once a storm passes, there is often new beauty to be found. The water washes away all the dead things and nourishes new life. I hope that holds true in this storm…I hope to find hidden depths of my suffering that gives breath to new life.