A Postcard to Heaven

It was a stormy, cold night. The sound of the wind hammering against the house with thunderous force frightened me to the core.

I was in the kitchen bustling about, cleaning up when the lights began to flicker.  I stopped what I was doing my heart beating fast. I did not like storms but I liked them even less in darkness. And the kitchen was a mess. I prided myself on a tidy and clean kitchen. But as the flickering gave way to darkness, the untidy kitchen would have to take a back seat.

I sat huddled by the fireplace glad for the warmth and little light it gave. But sitting alone in the midst of a storm, your mind starts playing games and imagination begins to run wild. And if you let it get the better of you then those moments can be very long and difficult. I sent a prayer up to Heaven and asked my Lord to be with me.

And then I started to take stock of the situation. Slowly I ticked the essentials in my mind, like ticking the days off a calendar.  I had warmth and light from the fireplace, I had my phone charged up and ready should I need to call for help and I had enough food and clean water for a few days should the storm continue. My mind eased a bit and the fear started to subside. There was nothing to do but to wait out the storm.

Music brings joy to my soul, so I reached for my ipod, closed my eyes and listened to the soothing strains of the violins and flute. Then my mind went on a journey to seek the insights of my soul. And as I sat there meditating, I found myself in an exquisite garden seated at the feet of my Lord as he played the music of the cosmos.

The lights came on - hours had passed and I hadn't noticed. I had been given a little time to simply be, to stop and walk away from the daily grind, to break free from the race that we've made of our lives, to experience peace within the fiercest of storms. 

Like two sides of a coin every situation presents us with the opportunity to overcome or to wallow, to move forward with courage or to cower in fear, to accept and make the best of the situation or to blame someone else.  The responsibility of making that choice lies with us. 

The sun rises after each sunset, the day follows the night, the tides ebb and flow, the moon waxes after it wanes, the good times follow the bad ones and the light comes back on after a storm. Life balances out. The storm gave me a chance to unwind, to relax, to balance out. 

It showed me that I had the courage to overcome, that some circumstances are beyond our control and to try and change that is futile. It taught me that peace lies within and that when the storms in our life appear, it is our inner peace that gives us the strength to move through it.  And it taught me that we are never alone.

It was time to thank the Lord for his grace. After all, all the things I learned in those few hours of darkness, were through his grace and love. And the peace I felt within was knowing He was there by my side at every moment.

And so I wrote my postcard to Heaven. 

Written for the Write Tribe contest:  

Write a piece/a story/ a poem incorporating the following  7 words in random order :

  postcard   coin    tidy    wild    help   calender    responsibility

Wishing you all a peaceful day.

Warm Regards