Old Florida Days

My family moved to south Florida, Homestead, in the mid '70s. While the shock of losing the beauty of seasons, and learning to find shade under a palm instead of a maple took years to overcome, I new season entered my heart.

Afternoon thunderstorms.

Around 2 or 3, rich, dark clouds rolled in from the Atlantic, clashing and rumbling like an angry Greek god, striking the earth with lightning.

The wind blew the heat and humidity from the air.

Like the finale of a great symphony, the lightning, thunder and wind cumulated with a fury rain under a dark sky.

Then, it was over. By evening, the sky was blue and the sun burned down, turning the wet earth into muggy heat.

I loved those stormy summer afternoons. To me, this is Florida. Not hurricane's .

But weather patterns change. Those stormy afternoons went away. I moved to Tallahassee then Columbus, and finally to Central Florida. Yet in the twenty years I've been here, I've not experienced many of those glorious summer thunderstorm afternoons.

Until now.

Recently, we've had the beauty of dark clouds ladened with rain and electricty roll over us, threatening and warning, then raining for a few hours.

Then, it breaks and by evening, the clouds drift away and the sun burns, reminding me God is in control.

I love days like these and pray it is again the season of sunny days wrapped around summer storms.