Thunder claps around me. Large rain drops hit the aluminum roof of the three-season room. Lightning illuminates the sky with nature’s electricity.
As I sit here, birds sing. The grass grows. The sun eventually comes back out.
It’s amazing how much life is like weather.
About 16 months ago, I was a dark cloud. Depressing. Sometimes ominous. Floating here and there with no real purpose. I was ready to float out of Dubuque, to go where the wind took me, hoping a new environment meant sunnier skies. I wasn’t looking for rainbows. I just wanted warmth.
And then I met Michelle. A woman who, like me, was looking, looking for warmth and sunnier skies. It couldn’t have been a more perfect weather pattern. The forecast was looking up, and in the span of a few months, I moved into a beautiful new house, landed an awesome job that was more family friendly, and got married to the love of my life.
But even as blue skies prevailed, off in the distance, it thundered. The storm was so far away, I figured I wouldn’t get caught in the downpour. But my past became a prevailing wind, and before I knew it, it turned into a cold Alberta clipper, the kind that penetrates your flesh and leaves you cold inside.
For the most part, I’ve worn enough layers to get through the storms, and Michelle has been my unbelievably awesome and strong umbrella. I love her more than any umbrella I’ve ever had.
I know that eventually, sunny skies will return. Storms don’t last forever.
WINTER WONDERS 