Afton Rorvik's Blog, page 4
December 5, 2018
When Grief Comes with Advent
I wanted to get a newsletter out to you in late November, but I got sick over Thanksgiving. I would start to write, cough a lot, decide to take a nap, try writing again, cough more, shake my head to try clearing the brain fog, and finally give up and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with the Chief Furry Officer. Sigh!
I know that some of you find yourself in the midst of an illness far more severe than a nasty virus. And several of you have found yourselves suddenly in the middle of challenging life-changes you never saw coming.
For several years after Mom died in 2006, I struggled with Christmas cards. At first I opened them and read them but then I just couldn’t do it. Every card I read just reminded me over and over that everyone else’s lives seemed full and busy while my own had stopped, buried in fog. Finally, I stopped reading the cards or sending them.
Selfish? Maybe.
Self-care? Maybe.
Grief? Definitely.
Grief hurts—literally. Our hearts and even our bodies just ache. And we can so easily run from the uncomfortableness of that pain, whether it comes from our own loss or the loss of a friend.
Grief can feel a bit embarrassing. I muttered to myself, “How ridiculous that reading Christmas cards does me in. I should have more Christmas spirit than this!”
But, as all the experts say, letting yourself feel what you feel for as long as it takes matters, and so does embracing the grieving process rather than running from it.
A few days ago a Christmas card came whizzing through the mail slot in the front door. I picked it up, read it, and smiled with genuine joy. For those of you good at math, that joy took twelve years to emerge fully.
So, to you my grieving friends, be patient with yourself. Let yourself feel what you feel. Give yourself time and space. But also remember that joy WILL return. These words from Lamentations gave me courage and hope in the midst of grief. May they do the same for you this advent.
What I’m Listening to: “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Home Free, an American a capella group of five male vocalists. I return to this song and this music video every year. LOVE this version with a twist at the end and set in a beautiful church. Oh, and did I mention the look on their faces?!
What I’m Reading: “Tell Me a Story: An Advent Reading Experience” written by Jen Pollock Michel. I really enjoy receiving these daily emails that weave together story and Scripture and pull me back to Jesus.
https://www.jenpollockmichel.com
Where I’m Writing: Last month I wrote a devotional about a mysterious gift that showed up on my doorstep and how it helped me think about gratitude. You can read it here:
https://arisedailydevos.wordpress.com/tag/afton-rorvik/
Finally, many of you know that I recently signed a contract with Karen Neumair of Credo Communications to represent my second book. She hopes to present the book to some publishers in January. So . . . for those of you who pray, please join me in asking God to give this project wings so that it will land where it will thrive. Know that I cherish your support! And love to hear from you. You can email me at: stormsistersconnection@gmail.com.
Cheering you on as you seek to live connected!
The post When Grief Comes with Advent appeared first on Afton Rorvik.
October 25, 2018
Practicing Seasonal Gratitude
Hi Friends!
After several chilly walks with my neighbor and her dog, I realize that I probably need to start wearing socks again. Sigh!
Every year I play these silly games that fall under the title, “If I don’t dress for winter, maybe it won’t come.” I wear my flip-flops until my toes practically turn blue. Then I reluctantly wear close-toed shoes but not socks. Then I must add socks. Finally, the day comes when I must pull out my sturdy, fur-lined boots. I’ll spare you the details of how I play the same game with jackets.
(Even the Chief Furry Officer is dressing for the season!)
I’ve lived in winter climates all my life. I really should get it by now. Right?
Clearly I’m trying to avoid the season of winter. But it will come. No matter what I do or don’t do. I can play mental games and complain about it to anyone who will listen. I can wake up every morning and give way to anger about the cold. Or I can learn to be grateful for what is. This season. This year. This winter.
I’m working on this grateful approach to winter, and I’m also working on practicing gratitude as I navigate various seasons within friendships.
I almost literally bumped into a decades-long friend at a store a few weeks ago. We’ve had seasons of pop-in coffee moments, long walks or lunches, trips to an outlet mall . . . But lately we’ve shared more texts than one-on-one face time. She works full-time, has two teenagers, a husband, and an elderly mother in need of support a state away.
I could complain about it to anyone who would listen; I could lash out in anger at my friend who just doesn’t have much time for me; I could just assume this friendship is evaporating.
Or I could assume that just like the seasons, friendships change. Always. If I value this friendship, and I do greatly, I must learn to navigate change. And I must remind myself to see through my friend’s eyes. She must feel stretched like a rubber band. How can I support her during this time instead of demanding from her and stretching her even more?
I can text words of encouragement that don’t require a response.
I can pray. I can ask God to walk with my friend and give her strength and wisdom for the day. I can ask God to wrap my friend in His loving arms and remind her of “His mercies that never cease.”
And I can rejoice in the face-to-face moments we can find, even if it is a few minutes in a store.
Throughout the changing seasons of life and friendship, I want to work hard to practice gratitude. I feel so much better when I do.
Maybe, just maybe, some of you share my struggle with navigating relationship seasons and/or natural seasons so I want to share with you some resources that help me.
Morning Prayer of Gratitude: “Dear Jesus, thank you for this day just as it will unfold. And thank you for my people, just as they are.”
Evening Prayer of Gratitude: (based loosely on the Prayer of Examen): “Dear Jesus, thank you for each part of this day and for your hand in each part. And thank you for my people just as they are.” 
November 2018 Gratitude calendar: I plan to decorate this calendar with words and images to remind myself of all I can be thankful for in the changing seasons of nature and relationships. Join me?
You can also find the calendar on my Pinterest page. https://pin.it/v6fth7yc34th2z
I would love to hear from you about how you practice gratitude. I know I have much to learn. Commenting on a blog can feel daunting so feel free to email me: stormsistersconnection@gmail.com. I love emailing!
What I’m Reading
I always like getting book and podcast and article recommendations from friends so I thought I’d pass on some of my recent favorites to you.
In my job at Northwestern as a patient registrar, I often find helpful health tips in the Northwestern newsletters: http://www.nmbreakthroughs.org/wellness/5-benefits-of-healthy-relationships
This recent article from Christianity Today: “Lonely Leadership” by Esther Feng reminds me that making the time and effort to connect with others doesn’t come easily especially for busy women who usually find themselves leading. https://www.christianitytoday.com/women-leaders/2012/january/lonely-leadership.html?paging=off
Finally, I’ve returned to a book I first read years ago: Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayerby C.S. Lewis. This book makes me think. One of my favorites quotations is: “God and His acts are not in time.” Lewis reminds me that God is not confined to time as we know it in his response to our prayers. Lewis also writes, “It is no use to ask God with factitious earnestness for A when our whole mind is in reality filled with the desire for B. We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.”
You can find both of these quotations are on my Pinterest page. 
September 26, 2018
Taking Care of Yourself
We women often think we have to hold it all together for everyone else. At least I do.
As kids start school, we do whatever we can to help with the transition. We look at schedules, practice opening a locker, find little treats for lunches. To help my kids get through challenging high school days, we started pizza-for-breakfast-Thursday. Strange, I know. But it helped my kids get up and out the door when the week seemed endless.
When someone we know goes through something horrific, we roll up our sleeves, jump in, and do whatever we can (often involving lasagna).
Sounds noble and selfless, doesn’t it? Also sounds exhausting! Believe me I know because I lived this way for years. I became adept at pushing aside my feelings to focus on helping other people. And I could always find someone in need.
It all came crashing around me after my mom died. I had done my typical all-in approach to helping and completely depleted myself. When I returned home, I had trouble finding myself. I couldn’t remember what I liked to do; I couldn’t remember my favorite food; I couldn’t remember my life-giving routines.
In all my care of mom, I had forgotten to care for myself. After counseling and lots of reading, I’ve come to realize that I can help others much better if I stay balanced and also pay attention to my own emotions and needs. When I do that well, I actually have more energy to help.
Self-care. Putting my oxygen mask on before trying to help others.
When the school buses begin to roll through neighborhoods again, it signals transition. That house that buzzed with kids, who talked all the time and left cords and shoes all over the house and art projects all over the dining room table suddenly seems way too quiet.
Time to pay attention to the sorrow of the end of casual summer days. Time to pay attention to the gift of more time. Time to pay attention to creating routines that work well for this year. Pizza on Thursday mornings? Time to spend daily, honest moments with God talking about it all and learning from Him.
My writer friend April Yamasaki just released a book titled Four Gifts: Seeking Self-Care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. The title comes from the ancient command in Scripture to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I love that April doesn’t avoid the hard questions, such as, “Isn’t self-care selfish for Christians?”
She says, “ . . . at its best, self-care means that I care for myself without ignoring or isolating myself from the needs of others. Genuine self-care includes a mutual caring in community. It includes a sense of my own limits where instead of the self-sufficiency of self-care, I can depend on the all-sufficiency of God’s care.”
I have a copy of Four Gifts to give away. 
Just share a comment below about self-care, and I’ll put you in a random drawing for the book.
And just for fun, I also have a crocheted owl to give away. (Thank you, Linda Washington!) Perhaps you know someone in transition who could use a little cheering up. This little fellow just makes me smile. And I’ll throw in a copy of my book Storm Sisters for you to pass on to someone. Just comment on the blog and say, “Owl, please.” I’ll do a random drawing.
Hope you like the new look here at aftonrorvik.com. As always, I love to hear from you. Leaving you with a simple quotation from Lysa TerKeurst via my Pinterest account. It sums up self-care well.
Cheering you on as you seek to live connected!
September 7, 2018
Taking Care of Yourself
We women often think we have to hold it all together for everyone else. At least I do.
As kids start school, we do whatever we can to help with the transition. We look at schedules, practice opening a locker, find little treats for lunches. To help my kids get through challenging high school days, we started pizza-for-breakfast-Thursday. Strange, I know. But it helped my kids get up and out the door when the week seemed endless.
When someone we know goes through something horrific, we roll up our sleeves, jump in, and do whatever we can (often involving lasagna).
Sounds noble and selfless, doesn’t it? Also sounds exhausting! Believe me I know because I lived this way for years. I became adept at pushing aside my feelings to focus on helping other people. And I could always find someone in need.
It all came crashing around me after my mom died. I had done my typical all-in approach to helping and completely depleted myself. When I returned home, I had trouble finding myself. I couldn’t remember what I liked to do; I couldn’t remember my favorite food; I couldn’t remember my life-giving routines.
In all my care of mom, I had forgotten to care for myself. After counseling and lots of reading, I’ve come to realize that I can help others much better if I stay balanced and also pay attention to my own emotions and needs. When I do that well, I actually have more energy to help.
Self-care. Putting my oxygen mask on before trying to help others.
When the school buses begin to roll through neighborhoods again, it signals transition. That house that buzzed with kids, who talked all the time and left cords and shoes all over the house and art projects all over the dining room table suddenly seems way too quiet.
Time to pay attention to the sorrow of the end of casual summer days. Time to pay attention to the gift of more time. Time to pay attention to creating routines that work well for this year. Pizza on Thursday mornings? Time to spend daily, honest moments with God talking about it all and learning from Him.
My writer friend April Yamasaki just released a book titled Four Gifts: Seeking Self-Care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. The title comes from the ancient command in Scripture to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I love that April doesn’t avoid the hard questions, such as, “Isn’t self-care selfish for Christians?”
She says, “ . . . at its best, self-care means that I care for myself without ignoring or isolating myself from the needs of others. Genuine self-care includes a mutual caring in community. It includes a sense of my own limits where instead of the self-sufficiency of self-care, I can depend on the all-sufficiency of God’s care.”
I have a copy of Four Gifts to give away. Just share a comment below about self-care, and I’ll put you in a random drawing for the book.
And just for fun, I also have a crocheted owl to give away. (Thank you, Linda Washington!) Perhaps you know someone in transition who could use a little cheering up. This little fellow just makes me smile. And I’ll throw in a copy of my book Storm Sisters for you to pass on to someone. Just comment on the blog and say, “Owl, please.” I’ll do a random drawing.
Hope you like the new look here at aftonrorvik.com. As always, I love to hear from you. Leaving you with a simple quotation from Lysa TerKeurst via my Pinterest account. It sums up self-care well.
Cheering you on as you seek to live connected!
September 6, 2018
Just Three Things
Every September I seem to struggle with transition. I return again to this blog I wrote in 2014 and talk to myself and try to get perspective.
_______________________
The three little pigs. The three blind mice. The three stooges.
Everything comes in threes, right? At least my husband says so. Every time we discuss a topic he says, “It comes down to three things.”
I’ve had this conversation about three so many times with John that when I started to think about how to navigate the September transition that always challenges me, I naturally came up with a three-pronged approach.
I’m not sure why September presents a challenge for me, but it does. Perhaps I miss the buzz of getting kids ready for school (might explain why I went out and bought myself crayons, gel pens, and a coloring book). Perhaps I know winter is coming. Perhaps I miss my friends who go back to school jobs. Whatever the reason, I find I must fight depression with more zeal in September.
So . . . I recently decided to work hard to do three things every day this September. And because I don’t remember as well as I used to, all of these three things start with the same letter—W.
Walk.
Being outside and hearing birds tweet and dogs bark and bumping into a neighbor, her smiley baby, and her just-learned-to-ride-a-tricycle daughter feeds my soul. It slows me down enough to talk to my neighbor, to breathe deeply of the air, to admire the cloudless blue sky. And doing all of that takes my eyes and my thoughts off myself.
Apparently walking also produces endorphins in my brain, which gives me a mental and emotional boost.
Not bad for something free. If only I could move some mountains to Illinois.
Women.
Every day I talk to John on the phone and after dinner. Neither of us would miss our daily conversations and end-of-the-day debrief. And yet, I still need to spend time daily with girlfriends, even if that time is via text, email, or phone.
They help me find perspective. As we listen to each other, I realize that we all have challenges. They make me laugh at myself and at the silly side of a situation I just couldn’t see.
They challenge me to do what I need to do for myself in the midst of caring for others.
They remind me that God sees and cares.
When I reach the end of the day and sit down with John to debrief, if I have had my girl-time, I meet my husband with more of a “full tank.” I don’t come expecting him to make everything better or meet all my emotional needs. And, really, what one person can do all of that all of the time?
Worship.
Over the past few years, I have discovered the joy of personal, daily worship.
After I walk the Chief Furry Officer, we come home and settle into our favorite chair in the living room with a view of the front garden, a bird feeder, and the morning sun.
Then I grab my phone and listen to worship music, especially Fernando Ortega’s new versions of hymns. I know many of us don’t sing hymns any more, but I find the words of hymns so life-giving. I close my eyes, breathe deeply, and let my mind focus on the words. I often find myself turning the words of the hymns into prayer. After three or four songs, my brain begins to stop jumping to the to-do list, and I begin to simply worship God. The CFO seems to settle too.
Friendship Starts with C
I originally posted this blog in 2016.
____________________________________________
Yes, I do know how to spell. And, no, I’m not having a “senior moment.” But I did recently discover a fun list in a book (Friends of the Heart: Growing Friendships that Last Forever by Emilie Barnes and Donna Otto, p. 26) that connected friendship with the letter C. Just can’t resist sharing some of these C’s with you.
Commonality
Coffee
Chocolate
Concern
Counsel
Courtesy
Collegiality
Catalysts
Caring
Celebration
Cultivation
Connection
Continuity
Cherished
Communication
Contribution
Chumminess
Consistency
Comfort
Perhaps one of those words jumped off the page at you. I landed on the word collegiality. Word-nerd that I am, I love the way it sounds as it rolls off my tongue. And I love that I had to look up what it means because I don’t use it every day. Here is what I discovered from yourdictionary.com:
the sharing of authority among colleagues
the principle that authority is shared by the pope and the bishops
considerate and respectful conduct among colleagues or an atmosphere, relationship, etc. characterized by this
I can’t pretend to have the expertise to address the authority shared by the pope and bishops, but I do want to muse a bit about the definition of the word collegiality as it relates to friendship. I must be all wrapped up in C-words because I immediately think of two of them that help clarify the meaning of collegiality by defining what it is NOT.
A collegial (considerate, respectful) relationship between friends seems to leave no room for another C word: Competitiveness.
Collegiality suggests, “Let’s build something, do something, together” rather than saying, “Let’s both do this and see who can do it faster and better.”
A collegial (considerate, respectful) relationship between friends also seems to leave no room for another C word: Control.
Collegiality suggests, “Let’s talk this through and come up with a solution we can both embrace” rather than saying, “You need to do this my way. It is the best way.”
Enough of the word-nerd musings. Let’s make this practical. What does collegiality look like in flesh-and-blood relationships?
I think back to my days of sitting at my mother’s bedside and watching her “700 friends” surround her in her last days on this earth. They did not need to prove who cared for her best. They did not demand to run the show and tell doctors and family what needed doing. They listened to Mom and tried to honor her desires. They listened to me and my brothers and tried to honor our wishes for mom in her dying days. They made dying a group effort—a beautiful, choreographed dance of sorts.
No wonder I’m drawn to that word: collegiality. I lived it.
Grateful!
August 25, 2018
Transition Time
School bus time! And transition time. Fall always brings change, doesn’t it?
Some of you have kids going off to college this fall. Some of you have kids starting a new school. Some of you for the first time in what seems like forever don’t have to pack lunches.
This fall I’m not starting school or a new job, and we’re not moving. But I am trying to make some changes in my writing life. Within a few weeks you should see a new website. I’ll be shutting this one down for a bit in order to do that. But I’ll be back and continue to blog once a month. On the blog I want to do more of pointing you to resources—books and articles—I’ve been reading and finding helpful. And I’ll regularly give away books.
Thanks for sticking with me through these changes. Know that I always love to hear from you, and that I’m cheering you on in your transitions this fall.
This month I had the joy of reading an advance copy of a book that will release in just a couple of weeks: Four Gifts : Seeking Self-care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strengthby April Yamasaki. https://www.amazon.com/Four-Gifts-Seeking-Self-care-Strength/dp/1513803344
April Yamasaki writes honestly about her own struggle in balancing faith in God with self-care. She asks the question a lot of Christians ask: “Isn’t self-care selfish? ” I asked April a couple of questions about her book. Thought I’d share them with you.
Q: What do you hope for your readers?
A: I hope readers will come away with a bigger vision for self-care that also embraces caring for others and surrendering to God’s care and call in their lives. I hope they’ll think deeply about their core commitments and priorities for themselves and discuss these with their family, friends, and others. I hope that my words would come to life in their own thinking and experience, that readers would expand upon the book for their own personal situation and context.
Q: How is Four Gifts different from other books on self-care?
A: Other books tend to focus on just one aspect of self-care—like boundaries, or self-care for clergy, or self-care for moms, or some other element of self-care or a particular audience. The emphasis tends to fall on story-telling or how-tos with relatively less attention given to larger questions. But what exactly is self-care? Does it make a difference to think of it as soul care? Is it different from being selfish or self-indulgent? What does self-care mean in light of caring for family and community? In light of Jesus’ call to his followers to deny themselves? Four Gifts addresses these and other questions by weaving together personal stories, biblical and theological insights, questions for reflection, and self-care practices.
I love that April doesn’t shy away from the questions we all have about the true value of self-care.
I’ll be giving away a copy of April’s book next month when I launch my new website (aftonrorvik.com).
I’ll also be giving away this adorable crocheted owl (with thanks to Linda Washington).
As always, I’m cheering you on as you seek to live connected. See you next month with a new look!
July 31, 2018
Life Is All about the Shoes!
Hi Friends—Popping in for a quick hello on this very last day of July. 
Thought I’d share with you some of my favorites from July. Next month I’ll get back to offering a recipe, and I’ll also have some book reviews and introduce you to some of my writing friends. I’ll probably have some books to give away. Hope your summer is going well. Know that I always love to hear from you.
Most of July was filled with people popping in and out and then a trip to CO. How can you not love this view?
But my favorite view remains this one below. I LOVE seeing a pile of shoes by the door. It says, “We are here to laugh and eat and talk and just enjoy each other.” 
But I know you know that hospitality doesn’t always involve a house or food or even a pile of shoes. I wrote about out-of-the-house hospitality earlier this month at (in)Courage: https://www.incourage.me/2018/07/out-of-the-house-hospitality.html#comment-237810
Living connected brings joy, yes, but it also brings sorrow as we get close enough to others to feel their pain and step into their mess and allow them to step into our mess. Truthfully, I sometimes just want to sit inside my cozy house on my comfortable chair. Alone. But my faith in God pushes me to get up and get out. I wrote about it earlier this month on the Arise Daily devotional: https://arisedailydevos.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/in-tune-with-each-other/
And speaking of shoes, I found this darling little lady at a CO thrift store. Couldn’t resist. After all, life is all about the shoes, right?
Cheering you on as you seek to live connected!
June 28, 2018
What Do Your Feet Tell You?
Happy June! Hope you are finding time to curl up with a book and relax. (Check out a suggestion and book giveaway at the end of this newsletter.) We continue to have more rain than normal here, which does always make me think about reading.
I discovered a book recently: Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro with Marvin Karlins, Ph.D. https://www.amazon.com/What-Every-Body-Saying-Speed-Reading/dp/0061438294 Mr. Navarro worked as a special agent for the counterintelligence division of the FBI and much of what he writes about involves investigating suspects and trying to determine if they are telling the truth.
He seems to pay particular attention to feet: “If you want to decode the world around you and interpret behavior accurately, watch the feet and the legs; they are truly remarkable and honest in the information they convey.”
He explains that a person who stands in an L-position, with one foot pointed toward you and one pointed away from you might stay and chat for a few minutes but clearly also wants to move on.
A person who spreads her feet, planting them firmly, likely wants to establish authority, claim territory. (And, yes, this was a posed picture, with thanks to my husband and one of my nieces.)
I’m guessing you need no explanation of feet pointed directly at you. (And yes, Ringo’s turned head indicates he was not giving his full attention to my niece!)
Interesting, right? And useful as we relate to people.
The other day at work I went out to the lobby to talk with a patient and happened to take notice of my feet. One pointed directly at the patient; the other pointed back at my desk. My feet revealed what I felt. I wanted to chat with this patient, and yet I also knew that I had to get back to my desk and the work there.
I want to continue to watch my feet this summer. What do they tell me about how I connect with people? Am I taking the time to truly see and hear the people around me? I want this to be a summer of pointing both my feet toward people—a summer of saying, “I see you. I want to learn more about you.”
Building relationships takes much effort and thought, doesn’t it? And, of course, it doesn’t all come down to feet.
Lately I’ve noticed how prayer helps me connect with people. As I slow down to pray for other people, I think more about them. What struggles do they face? What joys have they recently experienced? How can I act as Jesus’ hands and feet to encourage them? So often my prayers for others lead to a quick text. Or an email. Or a phone call. Or a date for a cup of tea.
How like our wise God to call us to something–prayer–that gives us courage and comfort but also pulls us to connect with others.
Feet and prayer–two remarkable friendship-building tools.
I would count it a privilege to pray for you this summer. You can leave me a comment here on the blog and then we can chat more via email. And I would be grateful if you would pray with me about a second book (on building friendships). I have a finished proposal and three sample chapters and need wisdom to sort out next steps.
Cheering you on this summer as you seek to connect with others. May God give us strength and courage to keep our feet and our prayers pointed toward others even when that connection poses challenges.
A Giveaway and a Request
Looking for a summer read? I have a copy of a book I’d love to pass on to one of you: The Wonder Years:
40 Women over 40 on Aging, Faith, Beauty, and Strength.http://ow.ly/bIOt30kFSLT Leslie Leyland Fields edited this essay collection by women, including Kay Warren, Elisa Morgan, Shannon Etheridge, Madeleine L’Engle, and Luci Shaw.
In exchange for a freebie book, I’d love to get one of your favorite recipes and permission to feature it on this blog and on my Pinterest account next month. https://www.pinterest.com/aftonrorvik/
If I hear from more than one of you, I will find another book to send you. My office shelves overflow!
May 23, 2018
Navigating the Storms
We have had stormy days and nights here in the month of May. Maybe you have too.
We always know when a storm is coming. The Chief Furry Officer (Ringo) grabs his stuffed duck and paces around the house with it in his mouth. And then about 45 minutes later, the rain, thunder, or hail begins. We have thought maybe we should set up a Ringo-cam and share his 
insights on Facebook.
He must feel the storm deep in his little body somehow, even before we can see or hear it. He feels it so deeply that he shakes all over.
I don’t share Ringo’s fear of storms, at least when I’m inside my comfy house. I don’t so much love them when I’m driving on I-80 with semi-trucks passing and splashing.
At one point on a recent trip home from Ohio, the rain got really intense and I muttered to John, “Maybe we should pull off.” My level-headed husband said, “Check the radar.” I did and realized that in ten minutes, we would be out of the path of the storm. We decided to keep driving.
Hard to know how to react in a storm, right? Especially when the storm has to do with your heart. Maybe illness or doubt or frustration or uncertainty or other people’s choices have created a hail storm of sorts within your heart lately.
Maybe you feel like saying (as I did on I-80), “Let’s stop. I just can’t do this anymore. I just want to curl up and sleep and sleep and sleep.”
Maybe you feel like just blasting your way through this storm, foot to the gas, hands gripping the steering wheel, jaw tight.
Maybe you have discovered the joy of the buddy system in the storm: “I’m nervous about this storm. Can you help me navigate it? Can you stay with me and talk to me?”
Later on that same drive back from Ohio, we hit another patch of rain. I was at the wheel while John snoozed. But this time I didn’t feel that instant urge to get off the road. Hmm . . . .
What happened? Was the storm less severe? Maybe.
But I had also spent the previous ten minutes listening to worship music and turning those words into prayers of gratitude to God. So when I hit this current rainstorm, I entered it with a heart full of gratitude and a heart fully aware of God’s presence. What a relief! It didn’t make the rain stop, but it did give me perspective by reminding that God sees and knows all and can do far more than I can ever ask or imagine in any storm.
Life this side of heaven will have storms, even if we all move to sunny southern California. Let’s use the buddy system and help each other through them.
Cheering you on as you navigate the inevitable storms of life.
P.S. I discovered a new recipe for potato salad with crab and olives. Delicious! Check it out here: https://pin.it/kqu4x3u6n4kfbb
Thank you, Falecia Sanchez, who recently made this for us one stormy night in May.
