Just last year Hurricane Harvey the Horrible made life challenging for many of us in this area. It wasn’t just the storm and the damage caused, but the physical, emotional, financial and spiritual toll it took as some recovered and others floundered. We saw the very best and the very worst of humankind. Total strangers cooked me food and offered me comfort while other total strangers took what didn’t belong to them or hoarded what they did not need. Individuals and groups gave far above and beyond the comfort level and I had the awesome privilege and awful assignment of helping, praying with, working alongside of and even rescuing family, friends and neighbors. It was an unbelievable experience. Now, I year later I reflect on the outcomes and aftermaths of that experience.

I am blessed to count numerous new friends and family like buddies in my life because of the shared experience. I have shared many a meal, a joke, a job and a laugh with those I did not know or know well before Harvey. I have a whole new book of resources at my disposal including professionals in numerous fields where I am not an expert, knowledgeable contacts in several areas of the country who are willing and able to supply me with information and support, and several new skills and abilities, some of which I never wanted to know but never know when I might need. I understand preparation versus panic and of that which is important versus that which is vital. I have learned that almost everything is replaceable if necessary, stuff is just stuff and people are not expendable. I have seen that people come and go in our lives sometimes for a season and sometimes longer, but all are a part us. And, I have learned that I am in the end responsible for myself and my response to any of life’s given situations. I must answer for my choices. Yes, there were times that the results of Harvey tested my faith in God, humans and even myself, but time has not only healed but increased my faith. There were some in my life who did not understand or did not agree with our process of helping and healing and moving forward, while others supported every step. In retrospect, Harvey, like many other tough situations in life, was and is like rain and fertilizer for plants and crops. Sometimes it is messy and smelly, but growth and beauty result from the process. I am better and more productive than I was before.

As we watch others in our nation face hurricanes and storms, many of us feel anxious or nervous for them and are negatively reminded of our own experience. Others are convicted to encourage them, pray for them, be patient with them as we remember how difficult can be in the midst of the mess. I am vitally aware of how little control we really have over life and its myriad circumstances. He who is greater than us all is ultimately in charge and quite capable of managing without my help or even my worry. Ultimately, I can only change or control myself. So, I say leave the worry and the management of it in His hands and be about doing good. Go ahead and dance in the rain! Search for the rainbow! Splash in the puddles and count the seconds between the thunder and the lightning. Catch raindrops on your tongue and listen to them pound on the roof. Storms are sure to come and after the storms come times of growth and refreshing. Find the joy in the downpour and you will never miss another rainbow or the pots of gold at the end! Just know that sooner or later there will always be another storm in life if you missed the lesson of this one…