Tossed by the storm.
Embraced through the storm.
Saved from the storm.
Framed by the storm.
This was the scene in our backyard following the “Great Hailstorm” of 2008 (July 2.) Two giant pines crushed our above-ground pool, 48 feet round, 6 feet deep in the middle. A place of laughter and cannonballs and music and solitude and starlit floats. Even an occasional skinny dip.
Memories dismantled.
Memories buried.
Memories framed in my mind.
” . . . and you were so glad when the storm died down . . . Psalm 107:30a (Message)
Note: This post is in response to Claire Burge’s PhotoPlay prompt “Frame It” at High Calling Blogs.
What is your most memorable storm story?
How have you been framed by the storms of life?
Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King
I love storms. I fear storms. I'm drawn to storms. For these are my meeting place with God. They are the places where my heart is uncovered, even the parts I have hidden from myself. They are the places where the Holy meets the ravages of our fallen world. They are the places of absolutes.
We live too much in the gray and spend much of our days wandering through a fog. Storms release us from that. Storms make us lean and focused. We know what matters then.
You know what I'm talking about. Somehow I know you know it. And I am comforted by our fellowship. Thanks for writing and sharing it with me.
Oh, wow.
A hailstorm in July? Loved your words here. I'm glad the memories are framed in your mind.
What a fitting scripture to accompany your image. Storms bare us … for sure.
You "framed" it beautifully!
Blessings,
Jay
@Cassandra: Beautifully written! I hear you.
@Kathy: I wish my husband would rebuilt. 🙁
@Susan: Strip us to the skinny!
@Jay: Thanks!
What an amazing picture! I have known storms and the frame through which I look has altered as I mature. Thank you for sharing the gift of picture and words.
Sandra so good to be in your space!
I like the fact that you took the odd skinny dips. I find that those rare moments are the ones that stand out most prominently in my life.
A storm story: We were stuck in the Swiss Alps in the middle of the night during a severe blizzard. We could not find our hotel. We stopped, prayed and asked God to lead us to safety. We heard the sound of a motorbike in the distance as we said 'amen'. The man pulled up next to us and asked us if we were ok. We explained that we were lost. He said that we were on the wrong side of the mountains and that he would drive us to the hotel. It took another two hours in very heavy snow. When we got to the hotel, we parked the vehicle and got out to thank the man and there was no motorbike, no man and not a sound of an engine anywhere. We asked the hotel butler who was waiting at the door whether he had seen the man on the bike and he told us that we were the only vehicle that had driven onto the property.
God is good. He is our frame, our safety in all situations.
In May, '74, I moved to Omaha from the west coast. Yes, we had the occasional earthquake [I was in Seattle when the '64 BIG ONE hit in Anchorage and remember seeing the windows "waving" in the skyscrapers on my way to work.], and we had the occasional wind storm, etc. But NEVER had I experienced what we did here the first year. That summer: drought and temps in the "hundred" range — on my birthday, July 9, we had the highest temp in the country, 110-degrees; that winter, Jan. 10, a huge blizzard; May 6, a tornado that tore much apart and killed and wounded so many — IF it hadn't been after school was out but before rush hour, the deaths would have been much, much higher. SO that was my first stretch of experience here. A "weather record" year … and God moved me here right in time. Wasn't that "kind" of Him??? Made my eyes widen, big time!! I learned LOTS!
@Donna: Interesting how the passage of time reframes storms.
@Claire: So good to have you here! That is one goosebump story! Wow.
@caryjo: Oh my word! That was one storm-tossed year. Guess He showed you who was your frame!