Under The Awning

Someone explained the difference between taking a shower and getting caught in the rain.
I’m already dressed and ready for the day, they said, referring to getting wet in the rain.
When I’m in the shower, it doesn’t matter if I get wet, they continued.
Being dressed or undressed is the difference.

When my daughters and I were in Tennessee, we got caught in the rain.
We were in downtown Nashville, going across the Walking Bridge.
Large raindrops fell one at a time.
The one at a time pace quickly turned into steady drops.

We and everyone else on the bridge without an umbrella started to walk towards the steps.
We were getting wet but the rain was not that heavy yet.
As we stepped off the last step and got on the sidewalk, it began to rain harder.
We were all getting wet; I thought of the comment referring to the difference.

I’m already dressed and ready for the day, now made perfect sense.
I took my umbrella out of my suitcase at the last minute.
At that moment, I wished I had it with me.
We were speed walking down the streets, heading towards the parking garage.

We knew that we had to stop somewhere.
We hoped the rain would stop.
One of my daughters was leading the way.
There was an awning over a kiosk of some sort that was closed for the evening.

We all stood under the awning, which provided shelter from the rain.
We were protected from the rain that was coming down in a sheet before us.
We were not the only ones under the awning.
Some other people had already gathered there.

I knew nothing about the people under the awning.
We were there for a common reason.
We wanted cover from the rain that was pouring down.
We wanted to stay dry.

I can still see her white knuckle grasp.
I remember looking over at my mother as she was driving the car.
We had been out shopping when a storm came up.
Instead of waiting it out, my mother decided to drive home.

As we were driving on back roads, the water was rushing down the street like a river.
I was in the front passenger seat.
I looked out my window and saw the rain rushing downhill.
It was rushing down towards the storm drain.

I kept looking over at my mother as she was driving.
She could not have held onto the steering wheel any tighter.
I remember her white knuckles.
She held onto that steering wheel for dear life.

I remember praying.
I remember picking up on her fear even though she tried to hide it.
I remember the silence of the car ride against the deafening pounding of the rain.
I thought we would never get home.

All at once, after miles of torrential rain, there was an opening in the sky.
I saw the sun peeking through.
The rain slowed down; my mother’s knuckles regained their color.
The rain stopped.

My mother reached over and turned on the car radio that she had turned off before.
I looked at the relief in her face.
I remember thanking God for His protection.
I looked straight ahead and saw a rainbow in the sky.

I thought of getting caught in the rain as we were walking in Tennessee.
I thought of the horrible storm that my mother drove through.
I thought of the amount of rain falling in a short period of time.
I thought of the rainbow.

The news is full of reports about Hurricane Harvey.
The devastation is widespread.
People have evacuated their homes and are now in shelters.
Rescue is difficult.

Someone on the news explained that the water is often too high for rescue vehicles.
However, the water is sometimes too shallow for boats.
Often, rescues have to be done in stages depending on the water levels.
Emergency personnel have to assess the situation and determine the best way to rescue.

I wonder how many people have a white knuckle grasp?
I wonder how many temporary shelters people have run to to escape the approaching water?
There is no escaping floodwaters.
There is no way to contain it.

It is hard to imagine the devastation.
It is hard to imagine the water levels coming up as high as the second floor of some homes.
It is hard to imagine the loss.
It is hard to imagine the feeling of wet clothes and wet shoes with no way to dry them.

People are checking in with loved ones and friends.
People are posting on Facebook that they are safe.
People are giving updates.
People are asking for prayer.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
 and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
 the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46)

Even if we are not in area of the storm, what happens to some of us really affects all of us.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Whether it is prayer, donations, or time, we all can do something.
There are those that are living with a white knuckle grasp right now.

They are not alone.
This is when the best of us shines through.
There is something each of us can do.
We are under the awning together.

2 responses to “Under The Awning”

1. You are right–there is something every one of us can do. I think of the little boy who has been featured on the channel 6 news. He comes from Houston. He (and his Mom) are selling cups of ice tea or lemonade for 50 cents and all money is going help the people of Texas. About $400 has been raised so far……another Alex’s Lemonade Stand!

   Reply

   • Sue,
     We all can do something.
     May the best of us shine through.
     Gina

     Reply