The winds subside.  The lightning and thunder move on.  The clouds part revealing an intense sunlight as you step into its embrace.

Through the destruction left behind you see the Love that remains.  Trees stand proudly in their survival as remnants of those left fractured and splintered by the storm lose their grip.  You are faced with a choice.  Do you focus on the wounded or on the whole?  Your choice is yours to make freely.  Neither is wrong, and both are expressions of a deep and abiding compassion.

You move freely in the open air.  With arms outstretched you embrace the sun.  The invigorating smell of air cleansed by nature fills your lungs as you survey the departing clouds in the distance.  You see your family and neighbors actively moving about.  Some are cleaning up, some are helping others, some are simply staring in disbelief.  You begin to walk over to do your part, whatever “your part” means.

You see the grass around you.  It seems to look a bit greener than it did yesterday, but perhaps you are just seeing it a bit clearer today.  Still, nature all around looks more alive to you.  The birds are singing more clearly, the trees look more alive, and the breeze seems to caress your face more gently than it had before.  Is this your own perception or is it a reality?

You smile in the realization that there is no difference.

The sky seems bluer today.  As you stare into what is not truly blue, it dawns on you that “this too shall pass”.  This wonderfully blue, not-truly-blue sky will again became enraged by the clouds it nurses to life.  The winds will blow and the rains shall pour.  Lightning will strike and thunder will roll.  Yet, you sit still observing this storm as you had the blue skies that gave it life.  “This too shall pass.”

A wave of peace flows over your Entirety.  You are content in the mud that now adorns your feet, and in the sweat that now hugs your brow.  You wish you could share this with the others who are busily scurrying around in one dramatic form or another.  “STOP!”, you want to say with authority.  “Appreciate the moment and rejoice in it!”

You blink and awaken to the moment.  You  don’t cater to the voice that wishes to shout.  You go about your business as you cater to the wave that has given you sight.  You smile in peace and with joy in the realization of this moment.  A friend looks at you and shouts, “what are you smiling about?  There’s nothing to smile about here!”

“See that?” you say as you point to a fully-formed rainbow in the distance.  “I love rainbows, and without the rain there would be no rainbows.”

Peace.