Standing in the Storm

 



Have you ever had one of those days where you don’t know how to carry on?

A time where you feel so overwhelmed by responsibilities that the weight of it suffocated you?

If you have lived long enough, you know everything changes, just like the tides of the ocean.

I grew up in a coastal area and some of my happiest times were at the beach jumping up as the waves pushed us forward. The ocean can be a refreshing and fun friend, but also a raging enemy in times of storms. Many years ago I had a nightmare of a wave that seemed as large as a three story building. I was about to run and way, when I heard a voice telling me to shelter myself but remain where I was. The only thing I had was a tabletop. Well, as you know these things just appear in dreams in a way that makes perfect sense. As the waves thundered over the door, I sat with my eyes closed and waited for it to pass over me. 

The scene had a familiarity to it. When I was just a child, my friends and I were playing on a buried log at the seaside. I looked up to find all my friends running in the opposite direction. I had failed to see the oncoming wave and there was no time to run away. The wave crashed over me. In my terror I clung to that tree stump and the wave did its worst and snuck back to the ocean and although shaken, I was safe.

There is a lot to be said for standing in the storm. While we can run and take shelter, there are some lessons that we only learn when standing in the storm. I learned the best lessons about myself when I stand in life's storms. I realise that to overcome I have to find my anchor. For each of us, our anchor is different. In the Chronicles of Nadine, Nadine’s anchor is her family. For Lady Christine, her anchor became her unborn child. Hiding from destiny may seem like a logical choice if survival is your sole purpose. As soon as you realise your decisions have a ripple effect, you see past what confines you. Lady Christine was King Frederick's only remaining heir, but her child’s inheritance would be lost if she remained in the shadows.  

What storm are you facing now? What is your anchor? What can keep you moving forward?

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