smile through the storm

rainy, stormy weather is my personal favorite. is there really anything better than the sound, smell, and feel of rain? i submit there is not.

and i absolutely l.o.v.e thunder and lightning!

lucky for me i just got to sit and watch the most beautiful storm i've seen in a long time - and it was close, too.

i have experienced several memorable thunder and lightning storms. one that stands out presently is of a family cross-country road-trip in our clunky, old white ford station wagon. we were driving through kansas late at night and it was my turn to sit in the back. i laid down and soaked up the beauty of light piercing the dark. i have always loved being in the car - it's one of my very most favorite places to be. that, combined with being clumped with my whole family in a small space, made that memory one of complete contentedness.

tonight as i watched long lines of quick, bright light strike to the ground from the heavens i contemplated why i have such an intense love for storms. my love of cloudy and dark days started at such a young age that i truly can't remember how or when it began. i do know, however, that there is a piece of nostalgia that gleams in my heart at the thought of thunderstorms {as you probably gathered from the memory i just relayed}.

here are some of my thoughts and feelings provoked by beautifully stormy weather:

they create an intense yearning to gather together with those i care most about in the case of far more fatal natural elements

they stand as a testament to me of God's mighty power in creating this beautiful world

{this also serves as a reminder of how large and endless the universe He created really is}

they are visible examples of Heavenly Father's pure love and understanding for human emotion

and of course, how beautifully symbolic storms are for the tests and trials we endure in this life. storms always bring with them gratitude for the sunshine.

.... and while i know that the following is not exactly the message i have been trying to tell myself in order to be emotionally healthy, i have become a huge glee addict and consequently have had this song stuck in my head for over a week now. i belt it out in the car, sing it sweetly and quietly to lull babies to sleep, and it resounds constantly in my head during both waking and sleeping hours.

so what do i think 'smile' has to do with thunderstorms?

the sentiment that by surviving {and hopefully thriving} life's turmoils, we all come out on the other side with a knowledge that life is worth living ~ both the good times and the bad.