I snapped these photos tonight as the thunder was booming and ping pong ball raindrops were starting to fall. My old camera doesn't do the clouds justice... they were vibrant! I'll be honest though, I don't care for storms, they scare me. I go into "red alert"-- I put fresh batteries in flashlights, gather candles, fill jugs with water, make sure the widows are locked and doors securely closed. Forget about sleeping, the pounding of my heart and my anxious nerves waiting for the next clap of thunder and flash of lightening won't let me relax. Dennis thinks I'm silly- but it's just what I do. I can't help it. You never know how long a storm will last or how severe it might be and I want to be prepared. I also don't want the kids to be scared, I want them to feel safe and secure no matter how freaked out I am.

It's strange to me how the times before and after storms can be some of the most beautiful. It's almost unfair to envelope something so frightening between such peace and calm. Beforehand, there's a perfect stillness and clouds are colorful and alive. Eerie light seems to creep over the hills and swallow the landscape. Afterwards, the sun shines brightly-- sometimes illuminating a yard filled with branches and debris which means lots of time will be spent cleaning up. And from time to time, the devastation is so severe that permanent scars remain. Most of the time, though, the light just sparkles like diamonds off shiny, rain-drenched vegetation and the smell of wet earth fills the air. Whatever the outcome, I am always filled with relief and glad another storm has passed.

Today was the end of another "life storm" for me. Our calm had been rudely interrupted by a vicious storm, then it ended as suddenly as it had begun. This afternoon I spoke with the surgeon who performed Tyler's bone biopsy. He said the results were benign, and Tyler likely has just a stress fracture that may have been caused by a small, benign tumor. He wasn't able to elaborate, but we will talk more about it when we see him next week. None the less, he's going to be just fine! Praise God! There are no storms to keep me awake tonight. He's going to be fine-- just fine!!

...Funny thing, I had kept Ty pretty much in the dark about the worries we had. It wasn't until the other day I shared with him how scared I had been. I gently explained "what could have been" and all he really said was "Oh. Why didn't you tell me that, I didn't know it could have been THAT bad!" So I guess I succeeded at keeping him safe and secure in that storm. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people who have been praying for him. I believe that prayer is powerful-- and there is no doubt in my mind that it made a difference here. We all made it through-- the earth is fresh and the flowers glistening! There's defintitely some debris to clean up, but nothing I can't handle. Tomorrow I'll get to work on that... tonight I'm going to sleep!