Recently, my wife Judy took me out for my birthday dinner. She made the reservation at a lovely restaurant on the banks of the Hudson River just north of the city. Earlier in the day, the radio and TV were warning that Hanna is on her way, but the sun was still shining so we headed out. Up the Garden State Parkway, across the Tappanzee Bridge, and down the Sawmill. The rain was in sheets, blowing parallel to the road. The road was flooded with manhole covers blown off looking like geysers. During dinner the rain would ease and we could see across and then just as quickly block any view of the the bridge or the city.
It was a beautiful evening, I love a storm.
The next morning, the sun was out to greet a wonderful new day. The trees, the grass, the air was clean and fresh. The tension of the storm was gone. There was a wonderful calm.
God was with us. God was in the dramatic magnificent energy of the storm. What power in the wind, the rain, the lightening, the thunder. God was in the quiet, clean, calm of the next day. Trees, birds, and a glorious sky revealing God's presence. But most of all, God was in our being together. Judy and I have been married 49 years, have known each other for 51... and to my amazement she still loves me.
God is in the storms... they are necessary to life. God is in the beauty... it makes life rich and vibrant and wonderful. But most of all God is in the love we feel for each other... this is the core of life. God in our deepest relationships. I could not ask for a better birthday. |