Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Into Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall

I recently completed an online photo class called Find Your Eye. As part of that class, we had to create an inspiration file of our photos that "spoke" to us.

I took this picture this summer on our trip to Panama City Beach. I thought it was so cool to look out from my balcony and see a storm rolling in - lightning, thunder, rain.

I've thought about this pic over the past few days since I found out that one of the Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan was the husband of a high school classmate. Though she and I were by no means "close," we were (and still are) on friendly terms and I keep up with her through Facebook.

Right now, I feel as though I'm standing again on that balcony in PCB, watching a storm roll in to someone else's life. I'm a safe distance away but I can see see the lightning and hear the thunder and watch the peals of rain as they pelt this sweet family. Like all storms, this one will pass and her sun will come out again but unlike a normal rain, this storm will leave behind visible damage in it's wake.

I've spent the last few days thinking about her and her children and all the things they'll never be able to do again with their husband and father. And that breaks my heart. Watching the storms in other people's lives certainly makes you take stock in your own. I have to admit that on Saturday night I hugged my husband a little tighter, and the snoring bothered me a little less and I was a bit more patient with my children.

My prayer for her family is that the God who heals will wrap His arms around her heart (and the hearts of her children) and protect them as they recover from this tragedy and move on. I pray that her boys will always have fond memories of their father and that they will work hard to cement those memories so that they never fade. My prayer for myself is that I will love my family a little more and remember that our next breaths are not promised and that we should live each moment to the fullest.

What storm are you watching now? Maybe it's one of your own and you're struggling against the wind and rain. Maybe you're watching a storm in a friend's life. Do you need to take your friend an umbrella? You might get a little wet in the process, but everyone appreciates an umbrella in a downpour.