Windstorms are powerful.  They can both destroy and purify.  Windstorms are Mother Nature’s way of cleansing our world, with strong gusts of wind that sweep old debris, weak branches and even trees from their roots making room for new growth.  Fresh air replaces old stagnant air as it renews and revitalizes the surroundings.

Windstorms happen in our personal lives too.  This is when turmoil enters and disruption and chaos take over.  Just as a storm dies though, so too does turmoil, eventually giving way to calm.  When the dust settles, peace returns as we take a deep breath and survey the events behind us.  It is here that clarity happens and life lessons reveal themselves.

I recently went through a few windstorms that took me by surprise.  I was not prepared for the enormity of the gusts that took my breath away and I worked hard to keep my feet firmly planted and my head clear about what was really important.  Equally surprising was the real storms raging outside my window.  The wind whistled and tree branches whipped to and fro like a fast-moving dance.  Just as the winds have died, so too have the storms in my life passed.  Just as the clouds gave way and the sun broke through, so too has the chaos given way to peace and clarity.  It is a wonderful place to be.

Here, buds are waiting to burst.  Light grows ever stronger and the magic of newness comes forth.  There are untold joys and revelations in the wake of cleansing.  Surviving turmoil makes you stronger, wiser, and better.  That is the irony of life and it seems that one must suffer in order to experience more joys.  Life is not flat and emotionless.  It is ever-changing with cycles of growth, beginnings and endings.  It is through deeper understanding that we come away with greater appreciation for life.

In the wake of my storms, I have come to fields of abundant flowers, bright warm sunshine, and the arrival of delicate blossoms burgeoning on trees.  I am captivated by the birth of new life and embrace it even more so, appreciating all the nuances of the world around me.  I am grateful for all that I have and all that surrounds me.  With both eyes wide open, I see the “bigger picture”.  I understand the lesson that life has provided to me.

Sometimes, life is confusing.  We may cry and laugh and we may laugh until we cry.  We may feel sadness and somehow, odd humour seeps in and tickles our funny bone when we least expect it.  Perhaps the late Gilda Radner said it best: “I wanted a perfect ending.  Now I’ve learned the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next …. Delicious Ambiguity!”