As I sit and admire the force of nature, she alarms my dog and I. Helene is set upon a reckoning. Although I have candles and lanterns lit, the dining room walls appear to be grey. The air is fresh, moist and textured. With every crackle, every bolt of lightning, and every howling wind – I’m [comfortably] shaken. As her winds bend the house frame the walls clap back! Yes! The walls clap back resounding- in tune with Helene’s heavy rain cadence…somehow soothing yet unsettling me.

INSIGHT: On September 26, 2024,I prepared myself for the storm – like I prepare for every storm…always. Sometimes you know when the storms are coming and other times you don’t. With Helene, I sat and waited for her arrival. There was a peace that came to me days before Helene hit and lasted days after she left. Outside of losing power for a few days, all else went well. After the storm, we took to the yard to survey the damage and look for fallen trees etc etc.

I view storms metaphorically in the way that I view life. When the forecast seems desolate and the outcome appears to be tumultuous, hang in there! Living in balance teaches us that storms will come but it’s how you weather them that matters. The upheaval and the havoc our “life storms” throw at us gives us an opportunity to access our situations, thank God for what we have and appreciate it. It offers insight into our humanity and helps us to prioritize and rationalize what’s important and determine where to go moving forward in this place called “Life.”

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