Hello,
It's spring when I'm recording this,
And all kinds of storms have been making their way across the U.
S.
,
Oftentimes wreaking a great deal of havoc.
And that got me to thinking how sometimes it can feel impossible to survive our storms.
It could be that your storm was sudden and unexpected,
A brief outburst that hit hard then ended.
Or it could be you saw your storm coming from miles away.
You could see it building,
And all you could do was watch helplessly as it grew stronger and stronger until it felt like it had slammed into you with all the forces of heaven.
How hard it can be to sit in the storm as powers beyond your control rage and strike.
Sometimes all you can do is to take cover,
Huddle if you have to.
But whatever storm you are facing,
Breathe,
Stay,
Center,
Because every storm will pass.
And once the storm goes on,
Well then we know what it can feel like to crawl out and see that there's been all of this devastation left behind.
So then comes the long and grueling work of cleaning up,
The splintered boards riddled with nails,
The shattered windows broken and sharp,
And maybe after a while you can get things back to some semblance of order.
But even then it can be hard to name the storm,
Because there is still so much pain and grief there,
And it feels like if you open your mouth to tell of it,
It will bring the storm raging back.
So breathe,
Stay,
Center.
There is no magic wand to stop the storms,
Past or present.
And yet there is a choice you can make.
Yes,
Even in the worst storm,
There is still a choice you can make,
Because you possess your own power that no one and nothing can ever take away.
You possess the power to choose,
To do what you can to keep yourself safe,
Away from the flying debris,
If even for a few minutes.
You possess your own power to center yourself in the storm,
To be the quiet eye witnessing,
Knowing this storm might do its worst,
But here you are,
Present,
Grounded,
Centered,
And strong beyond measure.
Again,
Here you are,
Present,
Grounded,
And so strong in the midst of it all,
As you live light and shine.
