After the Storm
May 18, 2010
Yesterday it was hot and oppressively humid. Last night, I was at the baseball field (wow, really, Chris? You are never there!) watching my 9yr old son’s game. All of us parents were trying to stand in the little bit of shade available while still being able to watch the game. It was one of those nights where the air felt heavy. It weighed on your shoulders. Even breathing seemed like a momumental effort.
Suddenly the wind began to blow. And by blow I mean, BLOW. We all started looking around wondering if there was a tornado pressing down upon us. There wasn’t. The wind kept blowing.
The kids’ hats blew off of their heads and we laughed as they chased them across the entire field, oblivious to the fact that it was in the middle of a game that they should have been paying attention to. But as serious as they are about playing the game, they are still just little boys. And it is still just a game.
The wind was cold and the temperature dropped rapidly. The sky grew increasingly dark. And even when the rain began to fall, we all couldn’t help but remark on how great it felt. The cold wind and rain felt refreshing. Would it have felt that way if we had not been suffering in the heat just a few minutes before? Would we have been thankful? Would the kids have been running around, laughing, playing tag while cold rain pelted them?
No. We would have all been complaining. About the cold and the rain. About how inconvenienced we all were. About the rain delay. About having to make up the game at a later date. About the dinners we all still had to make. And the homework that still needed to be completed.
And.
And.
And…
Because once the complaining floodgates open, there is no holding back. One complaint leads to another, which leads to another, and before you know it that is all that tumbles out. Everyone is feeling sorry for themself. I hate to admit it, but I am a master at this.
Last night I was reminded of an important lesson.
It is all about perspective.
We all sat under the pavillion waiting for the rain to stop. We sang happy birthday to two kids on the team. The boys all ate cupcakes and then ran around squirting each other with water pistols. I guess when you are 9 and 10 years old your clothing can never be too drenched. I didn’t hear a single complaint.
The baseball game was eventually called due to lightening. As we got into our car to leave a rainbow appeared in the sky. And then a second one.
The Universe just wanted to drive the point home, sometimes you have to go through the storm. Keep it all in perspective. Persevere.
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Incredible picture and great point. It is so easy to complain, but when you put it into perspective maybe life isn’t so terrible after all.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:48 amDang woman. Just what I needed to hear today as I walk through my own “storm” of sorts. Thanks for the reminder to keep everything in perspective.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:54 amLove this!!! So, so, so true.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:59 amUnbelievable that we saw the exact two rainbows here in Tennessee at about 7:30 last night. Right after a quick shower blew through. How is that even possible?? Aren’t you like 1000 miles from TN? Wow.
May 18th, 2010 at 11:00 amWOW…Double Rainbow’s
Sometimes God just has to show off!
You seem like a Mom every Little Boy would like to have!
May 18th, 2010 at 11:06 amGreat Job of being a parent!
Thanks for sharing your stories.
Amy
Beautiful, Chris. Just what I needed to hear today - thank you.
PS: Amazing picture!
May 18th, 2010 at 11:10 amAmen…I’ve been learning some lessons in perspective myself lately.
Plus another blogger shared this the other day:
talk about perspective!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg
I hope I posted that link correctly!
May 18th, 2010 at 11:37 amBest,
Tina
You’ve got so much sky out there in Texas!
We get rainbows but can’t see them for the trees :0).
Yes indeed……keep on keeping on!
Persevere! It is one of the best thing you can teach a child.
Its hot out there and its not even summer yet!
May 18th, 2010 at 12:18 pmChris- hang in there. Texas is a whole new world-
May 18th, 2010 at 12:32 pmLove this post! Great lesson!
May 18th, 2010 at 1:15 pmI think the Universe is also saying it officially approves of cupcakes and water gun fights.
May 18th, 2010 at 1:44 pmWhat a great post. I remember those hot hot humid times. Especially when we lived in TN and the air was so full of moisture, I used to say if we all clapped our hands it would start raining.
May 18th, 2010 at 3:04 pmSicilian summers (where we are for a few more weeks) are the opposite. Dry, hot, dry…so dry that you long for some kind of moisture…but it doesn’t rain till September. It’s different than anywhere else we’ve lived.
In the spring, we get blood rain - rain mixed with sand blown over from the Sahara. It’s so unusual, you just have to laugh at the mud coming from the sky.
What a beautiful double rainbow. Don’t you just love a good Texas thunderstorm?
May 18th, 2010 at 3:18 pmah, it’s all relative, isn’t it. we, too, were at the baseball fields and it ended in a fantastic lightning storm. and best of all - we won the playoff game! only the second game we have won this entire season. wonders will never cease.
May 18th, 2010 at 4:05 pmThat is a fabulous picture and an even more wonderfully told story.
May 18th, 2010 at 5:01 pmAmen sister!
May 18th, 2010 at 5:01 pmThanks for that message, Chris. Today was a truly awful day for me, in a month that has, thus far, been full of awful days. I SO needed to be reminded, “. . .sometimes you have to go through the storm. Keep it all in perspective. Persevere.”
May 18th, 2010 at 6:30 pmBeautiful post Chris, thanks!
May 18th, 2010 at 6:59 pmHow did you decide which pot of gold to look for?
May 18th, 2010 at 7:51 pmThank you so much for this post Chris…I’m going through some struggles right now. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, I’m 31 years old with 2 young kids. I love what you said…”sometimes you have to go through the storm. Keep it all in perspective. Persevere.” I think I’m going to write this on a sticky note and stick it on my fridge so I’ll see it every day.
Chris says: Sara, thank you. Best of luck to you.
May 18th, 2010 at 8:03 pmBeautiful post.
May 18th, 2010 at 8:23 pmWell said. Something I need to be reminded of often…. thanks!
May 18th, 2010 at 9:21 pmThanks for reminding me about moments that are fleeting….<3
May 18th, 2010 at 10:03 pmThanks.
I get it.
Thanks so much.
May 19th, 2010 at 1:04 amthe photo is awesome and the point is well needed
thanks again for sharing
May 19th, 2010 at 7:04 amThis was so needed. Your words are just, well, refreshing. It’s so true that once we open the complaint floodgates and it’s hard to put it to an end. And how true that sometimes, we have to go through storms to see beauty. Thank you for brightening up my Wednesday morning (as I sit here NOT complaining about work).
May 19th, 2010 at 7:13 ami just love your blog, it is so so wonderful.
May 19th, 2010 at 8:35 amCool photo! And so true…
May 19th, 2010 at 9:38 amThank you!
May 19th, 2010 at 10:19 am