I knew a storm was ahead. I could see it in the sky. The angry, dark clouds were headed in the same direction as I was. I didn’t want to collide with them. I checked the radar to foresee the timing and decided to slow down. About 15-20 minutes before reaching my town, a couple friends who knew I might be on the road texted to find out where I was and to caution me not to drive into the storm. They confirmed the storm was dumping a blinding rain and hail on the area. I continued forward with caution. I could tell it had mostly passed by the time I got closer, yet I saw flashing lights ahead. The highway was reduced to a single lane in a couple places where trees had fallen.

As I pulled into town, I was cautious of standing water. I glanced to the fields on the edge of town. They were flooded, and the sudden rain and dip in temperature prompted a thick fog to hover just above those fields. The sun peeked through the clearing clouds, and I pulled over to take this photo.

It was beautiful.

I continued through town, turning around a couple times to avoid flooded streets. I saw several piles of hail but limit damage besides a lot of standing water. I pulled into my driveway and took a look around to find no damage. I glanced at the sky, which was darkening again.

I was thankful for that peek of the sun beaming through the clouds, I was thankful for avoiding the storm while driving. I was thankful to be home before the next wave hit.

There is beauty among the storms. There is provision through the storms. There is gratitude in and around the storms. That’s important to remember, because storms can be frightening and damaging.