Got up earlier than usual today and walked Penelope under a beautiful clear blue sky. I ate my breakfast pondering in the porch swing listening to the wind chimes’ musical notes. Cool heavy breeze kept the porch pleasant.

Not a cloud in sight no matter which way I gazed. Mother Nature gave God a flawless blue canvas. God picked up his white pastel mid-afternoon and randomly sketched some clouds across the sky. I immediately thought of all my crayon drawings from my childhood. God had drawn three round fluffy clouds on his canvas just like I always did on my coloring paper.

The finches perched on their favorite feeder today and didn’t have a squabble. Either they were too hungry to argue or the finches were from a different flock. I listened to a wren sing for 30 minutes. I could see him singing, perched on the branch of a tall crepe myrtle. He was belting his solo out. He went through his whole repertoire many times. Read once that a male wren sings close to 12 million notes in his lifetime. Wonder if they ever have a sore throat from all their singing.

When the breeze left off it quickly got hot and humid. My weather app said “real feel” temperature was 110, actual temperature was 90. Sent me to my reading chair in my air conditioned bedroom. Been turning off the window unit when I get up but I left it on today, thank goodness.

About dusk a summer storm bubbled up. The bamboo got a gym workout bending and swaying in the wind and lightning strikes. I watched the bamboo’s dance routine out my window. Some of the stalks bent over and lightly swept the ground. Others swayed and clapped each other. They’re graceful dancers, beautiful in their green costumes. Their slender leaves and branches kept time with the wind. Made me think of percussion brushes on a snare drum. A bamboo symphony just for me.

Nature’s storms come frequently and we just accept them. We all want sunshine and blue skies in our daily lives. But we all experience storms in our personal lives. Mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual storms can boil up in our daily lives with circumstances beyond our control. Some of these storms change our lives. Other storms test our faith and beliefs. Storms can teach us to be grateful for what we have. Storms can bring joy in moments of pain. They can give us peace when we accept God is in control. If we weather these storms we realize our faith has carried us safely through to the sunshine.

I’ve weathered some dark thunderstorms in my lifetime and they have tested my faith. But after waiting for the cloudy overcast skies to clear, I realize life does go on after these storms. We pick up the pieces of our hearts and hold them close in the sunshine of another day.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain,” — Vivian Green.