Life's Storms by Dorene Jones

[Ceri Shaw]

As I drifted my small boat onto the shore I knew I was home and could again find the safety and security I had once known there. The storm raging around me served as a reminder of the storm which had been raging within for such a very long time.

Momentarily I looked over my shoulder at the grand vessel beneath the blazing sun from which I had just come.In my frustration I shook my fist and murmured, "ah you can have your glory days and sunshine. One day it will be you who knows the storms of life while I bathe in the sunshine."

For the first time a tear betrayed my strength and sent mockery across my face as it trailed across my cheek. My soul was not for sale at any price. I could not be bought with comfort and glamour. Surely my goodness and morality would prevail.

As I turned my head to walk away from the good life I had known my eyes caught the steeple of a distant chapel and I again found the strength necessary to leave it all behind in search of the truth. Each step made me stronger. Each step took me closer to the life I desired. Each step was cushioned in light and truth from above. Suddenly I knew that the storm clouds overhead were a necessary part of a change to a life rooted in the hope and faith of that one solitary man who also braved many storms of life only to die on a distant cross so that I might find true life and live it more abundantly secure in His love and by His grace.

Now was the time to put one foot in front of the other and begin my journey. When I arrived at the home of my parents my clothes were soaking wet, my face was hard and distant with determination, and I craved the comfort of my mothers arms as a had when I was a small child. The moment mother saw me she threw her arms around me and drew me near to that comfort I had once known.

After a cup of tea I took my bags to my old room. There I found the safety I needed to rest for the journey which would begin tomorrow. I drew back the covers and climbed between the sheets. My wet clothes lay in a pile I would deal with in the morning. Now it was time to close my eyes and reflect upon the day. The love I had felt for my fine upstanding husband was lost in the many snide remarks and off colored jokes about my family. I had married royalty and found it shallow and cruel. Not at all as it seemed in all those fairy tales I had read as a child. Before I drifted off to sleep I realized that true royalty is not something we inherit from our ancestors. True royalty is a character within that is strong and resilient and braves the many storms of life.

When I awoke the house smelled of fresh bread and I quickly grabbed my robe and sprang down the stairs barely touching each step in anticipation of the tea and biscuits which awaited me. Mom did not want to hear all the sadness of the life I had just left. She was not interested in how much I was going to miss bowling with the first family or always having enough money in the check book to buy the many things which made life so comfortable. After my second biscuit she tossed an old pair of my brothers work clothes at me and said "I have already finished washing your wet clothes and they need to be hung out to dry. Hard work will take your mind off your troubles for awhile." And aye it did.

The weeks which followed were difficult and full of change. I never wanted to return to royalty again. I loved simple realty and found great comfort in the small chores which make a family strong. The storms within raged for many weeks which turned to months and then to years. Suddenly mom was looking old and it was now I who made the biscuits and started the laundry. It was time to stop focusing on the storms of life and to change my focus. As I did so I found that storms are only a momentary perception necessary to appreciate the radiance of the sun and that going home can be all you really need to do to calm the worst storms of life.

Dorene Jones