Today we have yet another intense afternoon thunderstorm — the kind with the rolling thunder, strong winds, and heavy rain. Something hit the roof. Hope there is no significant damage, like a leak or damaged shingles…
But this sort of occurrence happens all the time, and usually we come through without too much trouble. The storms are actually expected. All part of nature… We know they will occur from time to time. Key to healthy survival is preparation for such events and how we deal with the effects… Adequate preparation, a good dose of resilience, plus a little humor may often see us though…
Marriage (and certainly all important relationships) has the potential for its own sorts of thunderstorms, sometimes complete with loud noises, harsh or hurtful words, and painful wounds that may leave us hurting. If we expect that close relationships will not be perfect, that they have their share of ups and downs, we are better able to move through the storms to a place of calm. If we accept these storms, work on ourselves and our relationships to put ourselves in a position of strength and preparation, laugh a little at ourselves and the situation when we can, hopefully we should ease back to a stable point that is comfortable and acceptable to all.
Check out this YouTube video of Adam Fields as he is wakeboarding on Lake Jordan in North Carolina during a nasty thunderstorm. Does seem like he can go with the flow and make the best of a storm. He doesn’t let the storm stop him from doing something he loves and doing it well.
So, when a thunderstorm hits your important relationships…
- Anticipate that storms are a normal part of life
- Accept that they happen
- Take care to prevent unnecessary damage
- Work on yourself and your relationship to appropriately manage any damage that occurs
- Keep your focus on working as a team
- Laugh a little if you can
- Keep moving forward
Sometimes thunderstorms force us to re-evaluate where we are and what else we need to do to nurture and protect our home and family and those we love… It can force us to stop in our tracks and take inventory, checking and double-checking to see if everything is as it should be.