~and we all have our own stories to tell~

A long line of springtime storms woke us up a few hours back with thunder and lightning aplenty.  The rain poured down for the better part of half an hour as it soaked the earth with an abundance of moisture.  The forecast for the foreseeable future is much the same.  Later on this morning I will need to return to Grandfield in order to be back at school by tomorrow.  I'll be checking the weather throughout the hours before I leave and try to make a break for it whenever I can.

 I'm not a fan of driving through thunderstorms, but I will be fine.  The same God who is with me as I drive on sunny days with a light south breeze to my back is the same one who is there through the torrents of rain that fall down upon us as we make our way to our destinations.  That is true in respect to the weather as well as being true for all aspects of life.

 I've been in some of life's thunderstorms, and as you can imagine they are not fun.  The same I am sure can be said for any of you as well.  No one scoots along during their time on earth without running into them from time to time.  You lose your job or find yourself getting divorced.  The total for the month's bills is more than the money you earn from the three jobs you are working at.  Family members fall ill and sadly, sometimes they die.  It takes a lot of faith to get up in the morning and head out the door some days.

 Yet we do it, over and over again.

 Every time I begin to feel sorry for myself when I have to endure some type of hardship, I have to stop and think of my mom.  She became a widow at just about the same age as I am now.  After being married to my dad for 42 years, my mom found herself alone and on her own.  There were bills to pay and she had no income, save for my father's social security allotment.  Rather than sit around bemoaning the fact that she had to go on without him, Mom decided to go back to school and earn a home health aide certificate.  We kids were a bit shocked by her decision, especially since her high school transcript was dated May of 1938.  She went to classes for the semester and when she had quizzes, I'd go over to her house and help her study.  Lois Scott's daughter, the teacher, was in awe of hard she worked at it.  After she received her certification, Mom went out into the workforce for the next nearly 10 years and provided home health support to the elderly and homebound.  

 She was awesome at what she did.
I should not have been surprised.

 The roll of thunder is subsiding and for now the storms have traveled to the south and east of us.  I'm sure later on today and tonight they will be back once again.  Soon it will be time to pack up the car to travel back to the place where 11 children are waiting for their teacher to return.  I pray for safe travel, not just for myself but for all people out in the storms today.  You never know who will be driving just ahead of you or right behind you.  

 They might be facing one of the storms of life too.
We all have our own stories to tell.


This man had his own story to tell.  He was my grandfather, John B. Scott Sr. and this photo shows him doing one of many jobs to support his family.  My grandparents had 8 hungry mouths to feed and one of them belonged to my dad, John Jr.  My grandpa made it through his life's storms, and I bet the same will be said for me.

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