Storms!?! Oh I REALLY dislike them :-(

So after our weekend getaway, I couldn't wait to get back and share all of the exciting things we had experienced and the wonderful memories we made as a family!  What I didn't share was that our trip ended abruptly as we were hit by a terrible storm on the water :-/  

As the rain fell harder, the water became rougher, the thunder got louder, and the lightning crashed in front of me...I found myself in one of the places I feared the most-the eye of a raging storm!  

Thought #3:

-Storms!?! Oh I REALLY dislike them :-(

Any of you who know me, know I have pretty much feared storms all of my life, literally.  But as I have gotten older, the term "storm" has taken on different meanings.  The last few days I've listed the adventures I'd like to go on and some things I feel proud to have accomplished, all of which bring me hope and excitement!  None of which have come without the passing of a storm or two...or three...or, well, you get the point.  

The scariest part of the storm is the middle...you can't go back, you're not sure how to move forward, you don't know if you will make it, and you somehow have to find the courage to pull yourself through.  

The cool thing is, once you make it out...you are different somehow, changed in some way.  

So, though this is hard to share openly, here are my thoughts as we pulled out of the cove and headed back to shore:

• lightning!...I hate lightning!  please, please, please Dear God, be with us and keep us safe from the lightning~
• will Caylee be okay?  I love her and don't want her to be afraid, how can I help her? (and yes, I busted out my chant from the lesson I do with kids when I'm sharing my book)
• these waves, oh my, these waves are soooooo scary, how will I get this boat onto the trailer with these waves???
• oh I don't want to stay out here in this storm BY MYSELF and be responsible for this boat...what if I hit someone or something?  what if I get struck by lightning?  
• why didn't we leave earlier?
• why is this taking so long?
• AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, that was me...Mrs. Always Worrying!

But guess what?!?  We made it out...I stayed on the boat BY MYSELF...I didn't hit anyone or anything...Caylee was good...nope, not struck by lightning...and the boat went on the trailer on my first try :-)

And after loading the car, wiping down the boat, and getting some dry clothes...I realized I was different.  I had gathered up my COURAGE when I felt afraid and was BRAVE in the face of my fears.  I had gotten through it and I walked out changed.  

"That's what the storm's all about"...challenging you to face your fears, forcing you to make choices, and keeping you just outside your comfort zone.

I'm not gonna lie...I don't want to be stuck out on my boat in the middle of a storm anytime soon!!! But I am    grateful to have made it through the experience and for the lesson that I walked away with :-)

How do you feel about storms???  Leave me a comment below!