Daisies Open....... like intuition on stormy days!

We have been through some stormy days in NEBRASA and once again last evening I was reminded of the fierce rawness of hail and wind as i was caught in a hail storm out running errands. I had been watching the dark storm clouds with little white jaggy clouds that looked like possible hail.

As I watched in the check out line of a local store, the young couple behind me replied to my wonderment about the dark clouds that we could all see gathering outdoors and said to me, "oh don't sorry about the storm as we just checked the radar on our pickup and it is only a 'little cell' and it is heading EAST to Merrick county. " RIGHT!

Just as I ran one more errand --- thinking I had time and came out to sprinkles that rapidly became pouring rain -- I realized I should have followed my INTUITION once again and headed home intead!

I ran for my car being pelleted by huge rain drops with my purchase that was uncovered -- as it I had tried to get a book for a gift and I had chosen to NOT take the plastic bag in my new attempt to save the planet once again! So I managed to get it in my purse and protect it as I ran for the car as a deluge of water dropped from the grey sky I had tried to ignore. I thought, BOY THIS COULD BE HAIL soon the way it felt.

As soon as I was in my car safe and dry it did indeed turn start to sounds like Hail and I tried to find wipers in our new used car we purchased this week! Darn! I was thinking to myself once again, "why did I not follow my intuition and drive home when I saw the dark and white jaggy clouds?" Why do we not follow the inner voices talking to us that we try to ignore???

So as I searched to find windshield wipers in an unfamiliar car, I realized I had to find cover as it was quickly turning from hard rain to hail outdoors. I had intuited earlier from the clouds that were sending me messages from looking to skys and storms many times -- and i thought of the nearby bank drive up with a roof!

I managed to find wipers enough to get there and sit to wait the storm out and then then came the panicky feeling of FEAR and wondering if hail has yet damaged another car! (I was caught in one such storm another time --- with my son after he had his wisdom teeth out and he was still somewhat anesthetized in Lincoln ----- and it really tore up the roof of the first honda accord we had that he now still drives complete with the hail damage in it.)

Well I survived the storm and made it home last night rather rattled to find my husband had left for his meeting ....... and so it took me a while to recover from the fierce and fast storm that was SUPPOSED to be going by us and heading to another county .... and yet at this moment I realized it wanted show its power on the way by and remind us to try not to ignore storms in weather and in life.

I had just had a week of anguish about gay rights and justice in the church which seems so long overdue and folks are so ready safe places in faith groups and communities -- and I wonder how patient I can continue to be with those who are looking to faith groups for HOPE and affirmation, acceptance but are giving up or thinking about giving up or have walked away in sadness -- and with our reconciling efforts last week in Lincoln that brought temporary hope I thought of the rain washing over the car. It did feel good to get a washing from the rain; if only the hail had not accompanied it!

We had also just survived tornado warnings in Lincoln a week ago and spent two hours in the basement of Saint Paul UMC with one banquet joining with another in the lower dining room. Eventually everything joined together in the basment into a makeshift Memorial Service complete with harp, singing and announcements -- updates on the storm warnings and hearing of Boy scouts being hurt and killed in Iowa that night!

In the past few weeks we have also endured storm upon storm causing our water table to rise to the lake by us is so high the sump pump has run for days as a constant now in our lives. We have found ourselves in the TORNADO ROOM of our house two or three times this last month looking for batteries and flashlights each time -- and folks in town have backed up sewers, water in basements, carpet on lawns -- porta potties in driveways -- so folks have been very anxious as the weather dominates our lives with these storms.

I am thinking that maybe it is time to start WATCHING out for the storm clouds in our lives again and following our intuition inside giving us messages or finding ways to get HOME or to find shelter and hang in there together ..... and also finding ways to RENEW after the storms that come along in justice issues and in our personal lives with relationships. They often threaten us to give up or run away or not try it again. But I also am reminded how important it is to be present and see the storms coming, talk to those around us, discuss the options and then sometimes HEAD for cover and find ways to get out of the hail...... to listen to those urgings inside...... and follow our intuition which might be God's voice within us.

It is time to look at the Daisies in my garden and the chairs waiting for me to rest in them and read or think or sip lemonade this summer -- these daisies that I have moved around with me many times as we have changed places and houses (and my daughter talks of these daisy movings as well in her recent blogs) -- these daisies that are a constant in my life and come up each year to open their white faces to remind us of renewing ourselves and listening to our intuition and those still small voices inside or still small voices from friends who embody God or those angels in our lives.

So thanks be for dependable daisies in our lives to remind us to try to weather the storms and damaging hail of our lives that beat on us ......and pound relentlessly on the car until we seek shelter and calm down to rest, listen to our intuition, check the car once agan for hail damage, find ways to renew ourselves....... and reach out again in HOPE -- when we get enough time to open our eyes and see the daisies that bloom again even through the hail, tornado warnings, high water and crazy wicked storms.