When I was a wee Matty, we had a lot of storms, much more than we have today or so it seems. I was terrified by the noise, flashing lights, and, most of all, the combination of the two in rapid succession. My father's mother shared that terror, but my mother's mother didn't. She seemed perfectly at peace with all the commotion.
One day, she propped me up beside her, after dragging me from under her kitchen table where I was sucking on one of her fist-sized biscuits dripping in honey, and said, "Now, hunny, the Bible says that the thunder is God's voice and the lightening shows His power. Just sit back and think about how great our God is and you won't be worried at all."
Needless to say, there was a roll of thunder and a flash as she said those words. It was as if God was saying, "Yeppers; you listen to your Grandma, child!"
And I promptly squirted under the table.
Many years have passed since then. Grandma is serving biscuits in heaven (Lord, please let her be waiting by the Gates with a plate of steaming ones for me). I am all grown up and have been through many storms, natural and spiritual. And, not surprisingly at all, I can hear my Grandma's sweet voice reminding me that God is right here and going through the storm provides proof.
So, let the storm come. I am going to make myself some limeade, snuggle a cat and watch the fireworks. Grandma was right. It just takes trust.
Grandma's Limeade
Juice six limes.
Bring to a boil one cup sugar and one cup water to make a syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
Add syrup to the limes and add enough water to make two quarts. If you wish, add slices of lime to the pitcher before serving over ice.
This works well with lemons, too!
What a wonderful Grandma you had Matty! Hope she can spare me a biscuit when I get to the Great Beyond. I love a good storm. If I was younger I think I would have enjoyed being one of those professional storm chasers. Enjoy yours!
ReplyDeleteLove it! I had a storm loving Mawmaw and her house was always the best place to be! May have to try that limeade! I like lime better than lemon...
ReplyDeleteI loved your story Matty, what a sweet Grandma you had! When I was little I was scared of storms too, but I lived in a very different environment. We lived in the big city near Los Angeles Calif. where there was only about 5 ft. between houses, (our houses were so close that I was awakened almost every morning of my childhood, by the whistle of my neighbors tea-kettle!). There was a big power transformer pole in our back yard, with a multitude of lines coming in from all directions. Several times during storms one of the power lines would break and it would wildly snap back and forth, popping and sparking bright blue arcs of electricity.
ReplyDeleteI was especially terrified of thunder until one night my big brother came into my room and sat at the edge of my bed. He said "Honey, you just remember that when it storms like this, it means that the angels in heaven are having a bowling tournament. And every time it thunders one of the angels has made a strike! Delisa :)