6/10/19, “Storm Warnings”

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’ve had a good week, as summer gets underway, and I hope you’re making plans to do something fun this summer, and will be able to enjoy some time off.

I’ve mentioned to you before how much I enjoy the writing of Joel Osteen, a pastor from Texas, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet him and his family, and I find him a truly remarkable person, a lovely human being, and his family warm and delightful. I love his books, and he has a short daily thought on the Internet, which always gives me a boost, and I often share with my children. His little positive messages get my day off to a good start. They always seem to apply to daily life. In a recent one, he talked about the palm tree, and how it bends all the way to the ground in big storms, and doesn’t break or fall over—-and how after a big storm, where a palm tree is stretched to its absolute utmost, instead of uprooting it, its root system actually becomes stronger. I found it to be a fantastic reminder of our lives.

We ALL encounter storms, big ones and small ones. Sometimes they come in clusters. And no matter how carefully we lead our lives, things happen!!! It’s inevitable, things you really don’t expect, and can’t avoid. And sometimes the bigger you are, the bigger the storm, and how hard it hits you. A financial problem that comes out of left field and shakes you up, a problem with your job, a nasty health issue, a dispute with a colleague, a disappointment, a betrayal by a trusted friend, and no matter how much we love our children, sometimes we have a clash with them too. I’ve had some big storms in my life, and I’m sure you have too. Sometimes we even have a run of them, you just get over one hurdle, heave a sigh of relief, and Wham!!! You get hit with another, or even several, and you feel like a human punching bag. I found Joel’s reminder of the resilience and strength of the palm tree really helpful, and it’s so true. Sometimes those battles we run into, didn’t expect and can’t avoid make us stronger when the storm is over, like the roots of the palm tree. You learn lessons from the hard times, even though those hard times aren’t enjoyable, unexpected blessings often come from those hard times, and we learn a lot from those storms, about ourselves, and the people around us, and often about those we love.

So I’m sharing that thought with you. We don’t enjoy those storms, but often we have greater strength and resilience than we know. The storms don’t break us, they make us grow. So if you’re going through a storm right now, remember that you will bounce back, no matter how big the storm, or how hard and loud the wind blows. I was grateful for the reminder!!! Sometimes those storms are damn scary and impressive, and you may look and feel like you’ve been shipwrecked right afterwards, but when the wind stops blowing and you pick yourself up again, it’s surprising and comforting to know that we survived it and we’re in better shape than we thought we would be after the storm.

I wish you sunny days and easy times, and a storm-free week (and life), but if you’re going through a storm, as happens to us all——remember the palm tree, and that you’re more resilient than you think!!!

love, Danielle