Peaceful Storm

The wind shifts and blows tendrils of grey clouds into each other until the sky morphs into one mass of billowing shades of light steel and black. Trees frenetically sway and leaves swirl and spin in rhythmic dances into the waiting arms of the ground below. I hear dead twigs rustling and snapping as sudden wind gusts shower acorns the color of faded olives onto the wooded path.

I stand in the shelter of forest canopy awaiting the storm. Lightning cracks in the distance and thunder’s loud rumble begins chasing away the week’s worries. The wind sends sprinkles of rain into the woods and I feel like a desert survivor receiving the first drops of life saving water. Curtained by an umbrella of foliage, I feel the sound shift from the voices of my problems to the sound of rain falling heavy, deafening even the smallest of thoughts. Plants and trees absorb the water as it races through leaves forming pools at the edges of exposed tree roots. The creek rises and rushes into the waiting yellow river it feeds.

All week, I sought and fought to find the elusive refuge of peace. Today, I search in the home of my heart looking among sturdy trunks and fallen giants. Leaving the wood’s protection, I step into the deluge of rain, open and exposed, and the storm drenches my soul washing away remaining vestiges of weariness and stress.

I stand prisoner feeling the storm’s absorbing and consuming power. And, what I find is that no matter how hard or long I search to capture the essence of peace - peace must first capture me.