Storm Warning!

Just six years ago around this time of year, we were huddled around the fireplace for warmth, and cooking on the grill outside whatever couldn’t be rescued from our freezer as we enjoyed our four days without electricity due to the ice storm of ’14.  And news reports remind me that in ’73, before I became an Augustanite, there was a record snowstorm. 

In this season of unsettled weather, it’s 75 degrees and sunny, followed quickly by a front that moves through bringing rain and colder temperatures.  Pictured is a recent day my weather apps blew up my phone with warnings…Severe Storm Warning….Wind Advisory…Tornado Watch…and then, Tornado Warning!  

I’ve been caught in a tornado, and am well aware of the fury and strength it delivers.  The sound is unforgettable; the sound of a train, just like they say.  The ‘out of controlness’ of the situation with flying glass from windows blown out, and giant cement planters with trees rolling by like they are made of plastic, causes one to hunker down in the nearest corner and pray.  In the middle of the storm, there is no time to think, but plenty of time to feel…fear!  

As we move through our lives, the sun may be shining and we may be in the middle of a fair weather type of day.   But that person that you see in the grocery store, or the coffee shop, or even in front of you at the stop light may be in the middle of a storm you cannot see.  Be gentle.  Be kind.  While it may not be storming on you, the next person may be in the middle of an emotional, life altering, hunkering down tornado.  Here’s a PSA from Zechariah 7:9: …”show kindness and mercy to one another…”. Be kind!