One Day It Rained

The thunder and lightening of last week have subsided, but before withdrawing, I have been reminded  ...

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 was a day of extremes and a day of change.  A day to that will revisit each time the weather turns dark and turbulent, very dark, very turbulent and wet.

The morning started out quite muggy with high humidty and high temperatures, resulting in a heat index of 97 degrees by noon.  Just before 5PM, the end of the work day, the sky became dark and ominous.  The radio emergency broadcast system warned of heavy rains, hail and tornado watches. 

Leaving work, I hoped to get to the parking lot before the clouds broke open ... but the torrential rains started and I arrived at my car drenched and freezing cold, when moments earlier heat had been the demon. I remember as a child being told that "an umbrella is merely a lightening rod during a thunderstorm" and this storm was so violent I dared not put to test the warnings from my youth.

The drive home was arduous with deep water on many roads.  Poor visibility through the grey rivers of water streaming down the windshield made for a white knuckle ride home.  It was a very long 2.3 miles.

As I pulled onto my street, I was welcomed by the lull after the storm. And shortly after the lull, the sky a magnificent, rich blue was gracefully sliced in two by a vivid double rainbow. Sirens blared in the near distance, but thankfully my little home had been mercifully spared.

Little did I know, those sirens would touch me. Prior to the storm ravaging through town, a different kind of turbulence had passed through, visited two homes and changed lives forever, including mine. A couple of my dearest friends arrived home from work after having safely navigated the rain, only to be met with a tempest far more devastating. They were not safe. Death had visited one home hours before, leaving no witness to tell of the mortal soul's last moments.  The second home was struck a disabling blow that would lead to a downward spiral of well-being that is still continuing now, three years later.

Whenever storm clouds darken the sky and break open to drench and saturate, I am reminded of that day.  Each turbulent rain is a reminder, ripping open the wounds.  Yet each new assault liberates some of the heartache created on that particular May 29th, and the rain becomes a catharsis.

Can one ever be completely freed from a loss?  Loss of time with someone. Loss of time being whole. Loss of ever feeling safe from fate.