Memory Lane - The Tropical Edition

As I sit here typing I can hear the rain pelting my windows and see my little oak tree out front weathering the winds of Edouard. It seems that here in Chambers county we are getting the worst of this storm. Even at that, so far, so good. I am really glad that we still have power, for the moment at least.

It is always a little strange to me that each time we get a tropical storm or a hurricane, as I sit listening to the rain and the wind, it reminds me of all the storms that have come before. Funny how that works, isn't it?

The first hurricane I remember was Alicia. She came in August 1983. I remember a few things about her. The biggest impact she had on me was ruining my 8th birthday party. I was devastated at the time. We went out in my dad's Chevrolet pick-up when the rain let up. The flood waters reached almost to the floorboard of the truck. We were living in Highlands at the time in a mobile home. We weathered Alicia with nothing more than the lifted corner at the top of my dad's tool shed/storage building. Oh, the other thing I remember about Alicia was that we used a lantern for light and listened to a radio all night for the weather. My dad told us a hundred times if he told us once not to get too close to the lantern or we'd get burned. My sister got close one too many times and burned her arm on it. Ah, Alicia, my first hurricane memory.

The next hurricane that impacted me remains nameless in my memory. The only thing I really remember about it was that it got me out of school for a day or so. I believe that one was in 1989 - my first year of high school.

The 90's are a blur for me as far as hurricanes go. I remember that Florida had a few bad ones, but I cannot recall any that hit Texas. Maybe that's because I spent the majority of the 90's in Dallas. You know, we didn't really concern ourselves as much with tropical weather as we did hailstorms. Those are much more prevalent.

In any case, my next memory of significant tropical weather was Tropical Storm Allison. She was significant indeed. In June 2001 she dropped tons of rain on this area. Just about the time we thought we were rid of her, she'd move into the Gulf of Mexico to pick up more water to dump on us. I was working in downtown Houston at the time. My husband came to pick me up from work on one of the worst days of the storm, and a police officer yelled at him for stopping in front of my building. He threatened to ticket my husband for picking up his drenched wife in the middle of a tropical storm. Funny, I would think there would be more important duties on a day like that, my mistake. Seriously, I don't harbor any bitterness; at least, I don't think I do.

Fast forward to 2005 - hurricane Rita. Now, keep in mind that Katrina had just ravaged the Louisiana coast a few weeks earlier. I was 6 1/2 months pregnant with my daughter, and because I was considered high risk I was forbidden to travel. I went in to see my doctor a few days prior to the storm hitting, and he begged me to stay close to Houston, so he could treat me should anything go awry. We packed up our stuff and went a few miles down the road to stay with my parents. Of course, the worst of the storm went to the East of us, but it was a little scary, nevertheless - more so when Rita was churning up the Gulf as one of the strongest storms in recorded history. As a side note, my parents never even lost power during Rita. We had some minor roof damage, which our insurance company covered.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, as Edouard now stands, he will probably be but a blip on the radar screen of my life. Oh, I'll probably remember him because my husband is 6 hours away, so it's my first official storm alone (well, the lone adult). Thankfully, he's mild as storms go.

So, why do I reminisce about these storms? I'll tell you. It's a gentle reminder to me of how awesome my Papa truly is. He's helped me to weather countless storms in my life - some of the tropical variety and others of a spiritual and emotional nature. In whatever storm I've found myself He's always been there. Please do not mistake what I am saying. I have not emerged from all of these conflicts unscathed. However, the scars that I bear are testimonies of His faithfulness in my life. And each one of them provides me with the experience to be able to touch someone else who is struggling with battles that I have already fought.

As I listen to my friend, Edouard, rail outside my window, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that no matter what storms I may encounter in this life, I serve a God who is bigger. I may stumble and falter at times. I may lose sight of what He is trying to accomplish, but His love is always stalwart, never-failing, never-ending.

So, rage on storms of life. Do your worst to me. I say with David, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).