when it storms

Somewhere along the way this summer, Sam has developed a fear of storms and clowns.  The sky turning dark and the wind picking up is all it takes to put him on high alert.  (Or, anything resembling a clown...but that's a story for another day.)

To help him when he feels scared during a storm, I've told him that all he has to do is holler for me, and I will come.  He's put this into practice several times when storms roll through in the middle of the night.  With every roll of thunder comes, "Mama!"  And, with each time I soothe him back to sleep after he's been awakened by a storm, my mind thinks about the storms of life that don't involve rain and thunder.  The storms that shake one's faith and batter the soul.

I know Sam will face storms like these in his life, even though everything in my mama's heart hurts at the very thought.  Preventing him from experiencing them is impossible; showing him where he can go for solace is not.  So, we will point him toward the One who offers shelter from the storm and whose ear is always attentive to our cry.

May he develop a faith that leads him to his Heavenly Father; may he know that God is always with him, even during a storm.

turn on the hose.

One look at these flowers and you may wonder where I get my gardening tips.  I agree that they look pitiful, but truthfully, I am not overly concerned because I know there's an easy solution to their wilting.  Water.  Long moments of sitting under the hose, and these little impatiens perk right up without a trace of wilting.  Water is not just the solution to a problem; it's also the way to prevent the problem in the first place.  On those days when I'm Super-Mom I remember to water my flowers before the heat of the day, which prevents them from ever wilting to begin with.  But, on those days when I'm sliding into naptime with a thin grip on my sanity, my poor flowers face the heat of the day without their daily drink.

How similar we humans are to these flowers.  When we fail to drink daily from a never-ending supply of mercy, which is new every morning, we wilt as soon as the heat of life gets turned up.  When I go into the day, depending on my own supply of patience and mercy, the tank is empty before the day is even half done.  Thankfully, though, we don't have to go through life wilted and running on empty.  The water for our souls is there; all we have to do is take a drink and repeat daily.

"For His mercies never fail; they are new every morning.." Lamentations 3:22-23