Hi from Lenora. We've had lots of spring storms all across the country. Storms are scary. You can't predict nature. I think that's why suspense writers love a good rain storm. I mean, is there anything more exciting and chilling then "a dark and stormy night?" Storms are suspenseful because we don't know the outcome, no matter how much technology the weatherman flashes across the television screen. We have a weatherman here who comes on and stays on the air during storms. He goes over and over the circulation of the storm, the times it might hit certain areas and how much wind and rain might come. My husband thinks he's a bit over the top since we believe if a big one is coming, we're not going to be in front of the television, fascinated by the rotation. No, we will be in our "Harry Potter" room underneath the stairs with our cat, our son (if he's home of course) and me wth my purse and my flash drive (and as many shoes and books as I can throw in there with me, probably!)Storms are interesting but sometimes we miss out on a lot if we're watching the storm approach. It's like that in life, too. We worry so much about the approaching storm, we forget to enjoy each precious minute of life. But I love it after a storm when things settle down and you can hear that soft dip, drip of the rain coming off the freshly washed roof. The birds begin to chirp again and the sun moves through the wet earth with a shining hope. Sometimes, we see a rainbow after a big storm. Once when my son was around four, he and I went for a walk after a storm. We turned a corner and there up in the sky was the most beautiful rainbow. He pointed with his chubby little finger. "Look, Mommy. A rainbow. I bet God put that there just for us." I thought that was so sweet and so profound. God puts rainbows in our lives, even after the distruction of a storm. There is always hope. And even though in our suspense books, we write about danger and survival, we also write about hope. Because in our particular brand of romantic suspense, we give the hope of long-lasting love and we also give the hope of an eternal faith through the love of Christ. Christ was and still is our rainbow after the storm. We might have to hide in the closet, afraid and clinging to each other. But we can emerge to see the sun shining and God's rainbow spreading out to us with open arms. This is the beauty of nature. And this is why we respect nature and enjoy its bounty. I took the above picture of a sunflower immediately after a fierce rainstorm. We were out on a country road. The flower is still wet, but the bee continues to soldier on. As should we! Lenora :)
Psalms 107:28-30--"Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble,
and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm,
so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet;
so he bringeth them unto their desired haven."
