In a recent New York Times editorial titled “Dark Clouds Rise In a Gathering Storm,” the forecast wasn’t about the weather.
Most of us know to seek shelter when dark clouds roll in, especially when accompanied by lightning and thunder. Where I’m from, those ominous skies can quickly turn into destructive winds or tornadoes.
The editorial wasn’t warning about a hurricane, but about the terrifying prospect of a global conflict brewing on the horizon. It’s a unsettling thought, but not an isolated one. Lately, it seems everyone uses storm metaphors to describe our national climate. Regardless of political affiliation, we hear constant talk of “floods” of debt, impending disasters, and political cyclones.
Relentless bad weather wears on the spirit, which is why a conversation I overheard this past weekend stuck with me.
A young public servant, asked by anxious friends how he was coping with recent workplace turbulence, simply smiled and said, “Dark clouds always pass.” His words immediately grounded the room.
It was a quiet reminder that no matter how severe the storm, clouds are temporary fixtures in a vast sky. History shows us that human resilience, much like the sun, remains steadfast behind the thickest fog. We cannot stop the storm from rolling in, but we can choose whether to anchor ourselves in the panic of the wind or in the certainty of the clear skies that always follow.
George Harrison – “All Things Must Pass” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpbdsIQb87A&list=RDbpbdsIQb87A&start_radio=1
Thanks, I needed that.
Thank you, Webb, I needed that… “right on time”, you were an agent of God.
Seems to have struck a chord. Thanks.