Winds

Winds,  hard, fast, destructive, have become a dangerous part of our summer storms.  As a little girl, I remember sitting on the couch with our Nannie, a Bible on her lap, waiting for the afternoon thunderstorms to pass.  The stove was cut off as was the television and the iron was unplugged.  I remember the continuous lightening strikes and the rumbling thunder, but not the wind.  Yes, the lightening was frightening and sometimes we lost power, but somehow that was expected of a summer storm.

The strong winds are something new and very frightening.  They come from nowhere and disappear just as fast into nothingness.  The leave trees down, limbs broken and a real mess everywhere.  Yesterday, amidst the thanks to God for the afternoon shower, I received a call that a very large tree had blown over onto my nephew' house.  It is something we all dread and look to happen, but don't really expect.  It was a huge tree but when it broke, it fell on the front corner of the house and did little structural damage.  A few pieces of decking will have to be replaced and some moulding, but overall the problem would be getting the huge tree down - off the house.  I am just grateful his wife and child were not injured, but they were scared to death!

About two months ago a tornado ripped through our county west to east leaving a path of destruction we have not seen to date.  Houses, brick and stick, were literally blown away in the winds and in its place death and destruction were left.  It takes a little time to recuperate and realize that every wind storm will not leave the same death and destruction the tornado left. 

We are looking for more storms this afternoon and while we need the rain, how I long for those afternoon thunderstorms of the past with lots of rumbling thunder, but no gusting, harsh winds.  I am thankful for whatever we get at this point as far as precipitation goes.

Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle
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Alabama

Hubby and I travelled to Alabama over the weekend for the wedding of a dear cousin and his lovely bride.  We met a lot of terrific people whose company we enjoyed all weekend.  The food at both the rehearsal dinner and the reception was exceptional.  The bride and groom entertained through all the festivities and still managed time for each other.  A lot of good memories were established by this unique pair.  Their love for each other, their God, their family and their friends was expressed throughout the rehearsal, wedding and reception.  I came home feeling blessed to have witnessed the occasion.

Mother's Day was bittersweet as I was not with either of my children as hubby and I travelled home.  Spoke with both though and I know as they know they are very much loved and have given me great joy.  I feel blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and daughter-in-law.  They are both good mothers, wives and daughters.  The same applies to my son and son-in-law.  I know I have the love of my family and I can think of no greater gift on Mother's day. 

I received a most delightful tub of Impatiens from my youngest granddaughters.  Impatiens is my most favorite summer flowers.  Also known as jewel leaf, this is one of my favorite herbs as it has both aesthetic and medicinal value.  Whether the girls realized the double value of their gift is doubtful, but that tub sure made me smile!

Before I close this little note I feel the need to ask for prayers for the people of Alabama.  The tornado damage is very widespread in this state as we witnessed through our drive through central and north Alabama.  I have been told that the southern parts of the state were damaged much worse than the areas I saw.  An insurance adjuster I spoke with during my stay said the damage was more like the results of a hurricane.  Recovery is still on going and many people are still homeless and doing without. 

Until next time  . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Perspective

Many times I am childlike in my thoughts. 

I have seen the many pictures of the damage caused by the recent tornados and after the initial shock and the roads were cleared, I visited some of the disaster sites.  However, until a friend sent me a video made from a plane did I ponder the significance of the human race in relation to this storm.  The people in the video appeared to be equivalent to the ants on a glorified anthill and the storm path nothing more than a boot kick along the surface of the earth.

The sight brought to mind how truly unimportant we are in the whole scheme of things and all those material possessions may make us feel better and puff up with pride, but in actuality they have little value in the overall picture.  I grieve with my fellow human beings and I pray for the safety of those left without homes, families, and friends.  Very seldom do we witness the physical power of our mighty God and it is a frightening thing.  The Bible tells us that our God is one of love, but also advises us not to provoke Him to anger. 

I do not pretend to understand the purpose of the storms, but I do see so much love, sharing, concern and joy in the people of our community that has been hidden behind a hard shell of protection.  Sometimes we all have to have a slap in the face to wake us up to the needs of others.

God told man to go forth and be fruitful and multiply and man surely did that.  But the Bible also says that he counts the hairs on our head and so I know he has me in his hands as he does my fellow ant people. 

I have come closer to understanding the fear, the loss, and the grief of those people who suffer through the hurricanes, the tsunamis, the earthquakes, the floods.