Blame it on the rain...Yeah! Yeah!

Libby

I absolutely love breezy summer evenings sitting on the deck overlooking the ocean, I feel gentle like the breeze and my worries of the day seem to fade with each crashing wave.  The starry night sky is bright with possibilities of a better tomorrow.  The laughter of sharing stories with family and friends makes my heart lighter and my mood lift.  I wish I could bottle this feeling up and spray it on like perfume, I would call it, " My Moment". The setting may sound familiar but the way I picture it, the emotions, the experience, it is as unique as I am.

There are days, weeks, even years that offer a gentle passing of time, like the moment above.  Life still goes on but nothing of out of the ordinary happens.  I am relatively happy with myself, my place in this world, the person I am am, my spiritual life, until I am not.  Until a thunderstorm comes rolling in...

I remember my dad, saying "come here Libby.", He called me over to an open window.  It was a summer evening, a warm breeze was blowing.  It started to lightning, thunder, and rain really hard.  I was scared like any little girl. I will never forget the smell of the rain, the breeze on my face, and sound of thunder and the ooh and aah  of the lightning.  My dad said, "Pretty cool, huh?" I said, "yes".  That thunderstorm turned out like many thunderstorms in my life,  scary at first but beautiful because it serves a purpose that we do not see immediately but understand over time.

I am definitely headed into a stormy period. I am overeating all of the wrong foods, feeling tired...ugh! My mind has turned its thoughts on other things like books and TV to escape, instead of self-evaluation and improvement.  I am focused on anything other than my mind, spirit, and body or focused on nothing at all.

I had breezy moments this week, we hiked that beautiful trail in long level, worked out, cleaned house. That trail hike was amazing for my family. It was really neat to see how fearless they are when they are not being held back by a scared mom.  They fell in love with water snakes (gross), crayfish, fish, beaver dams, hiking to a lookout over the Susquehanna river.  I loved seeing the smiles on their faces.

 Is this not so beautiful!

 The Creek...runs parallel to the river

 Happy Day!!

 Hunting Crayfish

The Crayfish

I am off of my game as a "healthy mom".  We are vacationing so we are eating out a lot, and our bodies, energy, and moods are paying the price.  I feel especially bad about that and really want to snap out of that quickly because my kids health depends on it.  I do feel I have taken a few steps backward and things are stormy, but with a little perseverance, some accountability, and a few friendly kicks in the butt the storm will clear up to a bright starry sky.

 Most times I get so caught up in the storm that is going on around me, I don't realize the unique opportunity to grow closer to Jesus, family, myself.  I like to blame it on the rain...Yeah! Yeah!   Awareness is everything, right, so my goal is to welcome the storms, maybe not with open arms, but to realize that on the other side is a better appreciation for gentle breezes, starry night skies, and the sound of crashing waves.
BTW
Texting on a flip phone is not fun!  I call people instead!! Imagine the horror!!!