Weather in the Phoenix area is usually pretty boring. Gorgeous, no doubt, but boring. Sunny skies dominate our climate with variations in temperature from cool to scorching hot. We may get an occasional shower or monsoon, possibly even a cloudy day here and there. But for the most part, weather changes are not expected or experienced often.
So yesterday's occurrence is definitely noteworthy. It was mid-afternoon. My oldest is on Fall Break (year round school) so I planned a project for the boys to work on to keep them both occupied: they had to re-organize all the toys in the playroom. Quite a daunting undertaking for two young boys. It was a task that desperately needed to be done and this seemed like an opportune moment to seize. (This playroom project is a whole story in and of itself! Why did I ever think they would actually do this on their own??? Such wishful thinking on my part.)
So, back to story # 1. The setting: The boys were playing, I mean re-organizing their toys. My daughter was asleep, about to wake up any minute (perfect timing for what was to come), I was at my laptop working (where else would I be?). And Rick was upstairs in his office working (where else would he be?). As I was sitting there typing away I notice that it's suddenly gotten very dark, I can barely see. I get up to switch on the lights and see that it's begun to rain. A second later it's raining hard. "Torrential downpour" is an understatement. About 2 seconds after this I see hail. Hail!!! In Phoenix! (The hail was about the size of a quarter).
I quickly call for the boys to come to the window. The hail is so deafeningly loud that Rick has already rushed into the baby's room (she's obviously awake, no one could sleep through that), and runs downstairs to join us. The entire family is standing there in the back patio doorway completely dumbfounded at what we're witnessing. Rain so heavy and thick I can barely see, with huge balls of hail mixed in, all at the mercy of violent winds that thrash, beat, tear and pelt at anything and everything in its way. It was relentless!
The storm was over in a matter of minutes but it left a hefty wake of destruction in its path. My yard was covered with ice, pushed up in piles. The rain/hail came down at a fierce slant and with such force generated by the winds that the ice was not evenly distributed. Rather, it was blown up against any sort of wall it encountered. I later read that the winds were blowing up to 70mph!
As soon as the rain/hail ceased we ran out front and opened the door to a river rushing by our house! The water had risen so rapidly that it covered the sidewalks on either side of the road and formed a river of ice rushing past us. It really was moving at a decent speed. It was an incredible sight. Debris was littered everywhere, tree branches and leaves decorated lawns and floated down the river. A tree in the park by our house was completely uprooted and overturned. We lost a few roof shingles and suffered a couple other minor inconveniences. Nothing serious, thankfully.
Then the sirens started. Ambulances, cop cars, and fire trucks revved their engines, turned on their lights and got right to work. We heard the sirens for hours afterwards.
It was an interesting experience for us. Watching the incredible storm with fascination, awe, wonder, a little fright and a lot of confusion made me reflect on how great and powerful the forces of nature are. What grand beauty and horrific destruction at once, the both combined. The kids and I discussed this and talked about how wonderfully diverse life can be. This led to all sorts of brilliant conversation.
We also gave thanks for our safety and paused for a moment to send out thoughts of healing and well being for those who were negatively affected by the storm.
Life, circumstances and situations can change in an instant. The world as we know it has the potential to shift before our very eyes. How we choose to interpret and respond to change helps define who we are. Who do you want to be? Do you want to see opportunity or defeat?
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