Around 1998 my family at the time was on a trip to Washington, DC. We had decided to take a tour of parts of the city by foot and subway. It was a good day until we decided to go back to our hotel which was quite a distance away. Shortly after we started heading back, the rain began to fall. It wasn't long before the rain turned into a torrential downpour. It cam down so hard that the subways were closed off for fear of flooding. It turned out to be a good idea since water started pouring down the stairwells going into the subways. All of the stores and businesses were closed, so we couldn’t take shelter in any of them. Fortunately we found a building with a large enough awning that would protect us from the rain. It didn’t feel that safe when the thunder and lightning began. The girls held onto their mother and me quite tightly. We thought we would be stuck under this awning for a long time. Finally the thunder and lightning abated. The rain continued but began to slow a bit yet didn’t seem as though it was going to stop. By this time we were wet and cold. We convinced the girls that since the lightning and thunder had stopped we should venture out. They agreed that we could try to get through the rain to our hotel. They began to run out into the rain. I reminded them that I could not run, so the best we could do was a fast walk. As the rain became lighter so did are mood. We began to joke and make fun of how each other looked. This was quite a change from an hour ago when the girls weren’t the only ones wanting someone to hold onto. Soon we came to a subway station that was open. We got on the subway soaking wet and still in a good mood. By the time we arrived at our subway station, the rain had stopped. As we walked back to our hotel drying off, exhaustion had set in. The fear, the frustration, the humor were all behind us. Things would be back to normal. In those days normal wasn’t always good. Any way you look at it, we had made a lasting memory that day. As you read the story, you can also see some important lessons. What are those lessons? We all find ourselves in the middle of storms in life. Is it better to go through it alone or with others? Are there times when it’s okay to be afraid, frustrated or should we always have a “good” attitude? When is humor helpful? Is there always a calm after the storm? Please share your stormy moments here or in response to my post on Facebook.
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