Power outtage = Peace & Quiet

Had a good storm pass thru here last night, knocked the power out for 5 hours.  Today comes the process of cleaning up all the debris & downed tree limbs that the wind whipped around.

I have always been a fan of the rain.  It is a soothing moment, to just sit and watch everything getting drenched or lightly sprinkled with rain drops from the heavens above us.  For the most part, it always reminds me of my childhood, being curled up on the couch all wrapped up in a blanket or sheet, just gazing out & getting lost in between the drops as they hit against the glass of the window.  And if it was a bad enough storm to knock out the power, those were the best times.... no TV, no telephone, no noise cept for the rain pounding on the roof & the claps of thunder rolling through the dark sky, along with the flashes of lightening.  Those were the things that made me realize most of all, that there is a power greater than myself that controls the world around us.  But it was a time to rest & relax, to enjoy the peace & quiet, without any interruptions.  Just the amazing display of mother nature at her finest... and what a show it was!

I have vivid memories of almost every rain storm that has occurred in my life, always trying to find different moments that I would store away in my brain for future reference.  I can remember several that come to mind right now, from riding home from church one night... watching the sky fill up with numerous strikes of lightning filling the dark night sky as we were headed toward the storm cell in the distance.  It was an awesome view of natures very own fireworks lighting up the darkness around us, with each bolt bringing the images from out of the pitch black shadows, it was almost like the sun had popped back in for half of a second so that you could see all that was around you.  I loved it.  And the rolling claps of thunder, you could hear it coming from out of the distance at times, like it was miles away.  Other times, it was like God himself had clapped his own hands, as if to "wake the dead".  We have all been told different stories while growing up about thunder, such as God was bowling, or God was moving furniture up in Heaven.  Or my favorite story was when it was raining while the sun was shining was always said to be that the Devil was beating his wife, and those were her tears.

Some of my most favorite moments from growing up, was spent out in the rain.  The best times I can remember, was while I was working the night shift & we all would meet up town after work in the shopping center parking lot.  We would just hang out & chit chat about different things, such as what had happened that night at work that might have pissed us off, or deciding whether or not to go to the Waffle House to grab a bite to eat, or just hanging out and enjoying the cool night air & talking about each other's vehicles.  We would sometimes all jump in one or two of the 'good ol' boys BIG pick-up trucks & go riding out thru the country or to some late night party held out in the old cornfields.  One particular night, there was a big storm passing thru, so we all parked under the car wash bays up town, but there was so many of us hanging out, that we would go running between the bays & got drownded by the overflow of water pouring down off the rooftop gutters.  We would start splashing & jumping in the puddles, dancing around like we didn't have a care in the world.  The rain would be light at times & heavier at other times, so much that it felt like tiny bee stings all over your body when the rain was falling so hard.  Then after the rain had passed, we would all pile into someones Jeep or in the back of someones truck bed & then go riding thru the huge puddles that the rain left in the Yadkin Plaza Shopping Center.  The puddles soon became large waves, as those over-sized tires split them in half, driving straight thru them at top speeds (back when the parking lot wasn't patrolled by the cops like it is today, lol).  We would then race down the highways, usually to some open mud pit to go 'mudding' & we would end up being covered from head to toe in that red Carolina clay.  Yes sir, those were the good ol' days!

Nowadays, as I find myself getting older, the rain still brings me comfort as it did when I was a child.  But now is the time, I long for someone to be cuddled up next to on the couch, to snuggle under that blanket with another warm body lying next to me.  Sharing memories of the rain storms from our past.  Hoping that person shares my joy & love of the rain so much.  There are days that I pray for rain, to wash away all my sorrows & troubles, and remember the good times of my life.  I still enjoy standing out in the rain from time to time, and once in a great while, whether someone is looking or not, you might see me dancing around in it, making another memory.