from the book Weather Report by BJ Gallagher

[Disillusioned]

"Any day I'm vertical
is a good day"
...that's what I always say.
And I give thanks for my health.

If you ask me,
"How are you?"

I'll answer, "GREAT!"
because in saying so,
I make it so.
And I give thanks
I can choose my attitude.

When Life gives me dark clouds and rain,
I appreciate the moisture
that brings a soft curl to my hair.

When Life gives me sunshine,
I gratefully turn my face up
to feel its warmth on my cheeks.

When Life brings fog,
I hug my sweater around me
and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery
that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.

When Life brings snow,
I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue,
relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.

Life's events and experiences
are like the weather—
they come and go,
no matter what my preference.

So, what the heck?!
I might as well decide to enjoy them.

For indeed,
there IS a time for every purpose
under Heaven.

And each season brings its own unique blessings...
and I give thanks.

There is no way to avoid Life's storms - they come and go whether we want them or not. The best thing each of us can do is learn how to dance in the rain!

[Thoughtless]

This is the type of abstract statement thought sounds good, but is difficult to apply. The storms in our lives mostly are not nourishing rain, but the hurts given through others words and actions. The nice analogies are devilishly hard to apply.

The disrespect of a child-maybe the child has the strength to defend their boundaries even against someone they love because your upbringing resulted in them being strong and self- confident. Maybe the boundary is misplaced, maybe it was not even being attacked, but instead of being hurt by the response, take pride in having instilled strength.

The porn addiction of a husband-it is terrible, but it may result in valuable self-analysis and more closeness than coasting along without this dark cloud and vicious thunderstorm.

Sometimes the bright side of a trouble is hard to find, but trying might mitigate the hurt.

And sometimes what looks like a storm cloud may not be-check the weather report: see if what appears to have been said was really the intended message.