More Horrific Hurricanes!

The baby began screaming at 3:07 am. The winds were screaming almost as loud as they were slapping the walls and windows of the outside. It sounded like our house was going to be ripped from the foundation and start spinning in the same fashion that Dorothy dreamed of in the Wizard of Oz. The worst of this storm was still to come. This storm was hurricane Ivan.

Have you ever been in a situation that you were just sitting and waiting for something horrific to happen? You weren’t sure that it would, but you were on edge just in case. Me too. But for some reason, this was not one of those situations. The eye of Hurricane Ivan hit land at 140 mph trying to destroy almost everything in it’s path. But my family was untouched. We weren’t even worried.

An inner peace descended on our family. There were no worries. Who knows why we felt it. But we did. In fact, most of the time we were joking and never even spoke of bad weather or hurricanes.

Ivan came. Ivan blew winds with gust around 80-85 mph by the time it reached our home. (We are about 2.5 hours from the coast.) You know what? We never lost power.

Afterwards, we talked about how blessed we are. My brother in law shares in the blessings. He is on the coast in Florida (Panama City) and even though his neighbors lost everything they had, he was left untouched.

We are continuing to pray for those who were left with utter ruin and loss. We continue to think about and pray for the families who lost loved ones.

Can you answer this question?

Why does so much bad stuff happen to some people (even good people) and others seem to never be touched by a hurtful hand? Are others sheltered from destruction or decimate?

Well I can tell you that no one is immune to bad things. But I can tell you that some people seem to focus on what is more important. And because their focus is so much different that the norm, it appears that they aren't bothered by what happens when bad news comes. They never talk about it. It isn't important enough to mention.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER IN THE BAD TIMES

While our family was sitting in the living room watching coverage of the high level winds complete with warnings of tornados scattered throughout the day, we came to the realization that everything we ever needed was right there in our room.

With the risk of sounding really cheesy, we understood in that moment that, as long as we had each other, we could get through anything. Family is the one thing you need to hold on to in the good times. But in the bad times be sure to let your family carry you.

We were able to be the blessing to my in laws through the hurricane results. They  were without power for 3 days (there are others who still don't have power). We were blessed to be able to feed them dinner, let them keep food in our freezer, even sleep over if they wanted to.

Yes. We had an eye-opener these past few days. We always loved our family, but this put things in check to keep us from just taking them for granted. They were in need. We were happy that we had the resources to help.

One thing to remember in the bad times is, know that you can always be a blessing to others no matter what the situation. You just have to focus on the things that matter. And the things that matter are the relationships of those that are closest to you.

Maybe you don't have a family living close to you. Maybe you have friends that you feel are as close as family. Do they know it? Would they like to know?

CHALLENGE:
Contact a friend or family member who holds a special place in your heart and let them know how much you appreciate them. You'll be glad you did.

Also, please keep in your thoughts and prayers, those who have suffered loss over the past few hurricanes.

Keep looking and living forward.
Mark Thompson
"America's Most Insightful Guide To
Success and Inner Strength"