"Happy Friday!"
Today, I noticed on the news, on the internet and all over the newspapers the coming Hurricane Irene. How tremendous the storm will be. How frightening it is for those who will leave their homes and for those who will just be affected by it...period. The unknown in life is scary, worrisome and can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Are you feeling this way today?
I have been affect by two hurricanes in my life. One, when I was in college...but was only affected by the after storms and rains. The second, my husband and I and our two kids were directly affected by a hurricane in Florida. We had vacationed in Orlando on a Disney trip and had no idea what was in store for us by the end of our vacation. During the hurricane we had to stay in our hotel rooms and were given instructions on what to do and not to do. I had some anxiety! The hurricane approached by late night and we could hear all the whirling and loud winds. I was worried! My kids were sleeping at the time of the storm and my husband and I did not cause panic or further drama onto our kids about the storm. We thought it was unnecessary to elaborate on the storm and besides they were too young to really understand what was truly happening. My kids, of course, knew that a storm was coming and that we would not be able to go to the parks that day or the next day. They took it in stride and understand that it was safer to stay at the resort. We made the best of it! We were still together and safe! My kids were safe! For the first time in my life I experienced how powerful Mother Nature was. Yet, at the same time I realized how powerless we were over how the storm would be, how it would end and what was truly going to happen. I had a spiritual awakening amidst all the worry of my unknown state of mind! I suddenly realized as the night went on there was silence! Silence that was almost strange, especially since this magnitude of a storm was covering Orlando,...not to mention the state of Florida,...Wow! I peeked out my window and saw the silence, stillness and peace. I opened my door and as I did...I felt as though I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz when her house landed on ground and she walks out to beauty and peace,..Do you remember that in the movie? Yes, at this point you are probably wondering what the heck was wrong with me doing such a dangerous thing,...right? It is funny because at the time of the stillness I did not even have any fear, doubt or anticipation when doing such a thing,...it was really strange. Anyway, I walked out onto my balcony and looked up and realized the eye of the storm was directly over us! It was an incredible, hair raising and yet beautiful experience I had ever seen. There was not one drop of rain, wind or threat of violence. I stood there with a look on my face as though I saw God in my presence. I could hear and see the clouds circling with lightening and loud almost evil like sounds around us but when I looked up all I saw was the star filled night sky and the clarity of the unknown, anxiety and worries were soon lifted from my soul. A moment of peace, serenity and the touch of God's grace all at the same time. At that moment my spiritual awakening that I had experienced gave me closure, faith, hope, reassurance and mostly a connection with God I will never forget. I was touched in a way I will never be able to explain to another human. I tried just now but actually feeling that presence is like no other. This was one of many spiritual awakenings I had experienced in my recovery. God was present the whole time! Lastly, I was told or rather taught that during the presence of the eye of the storm it only last so long and that it is very dangerous outside of the eye. In knowing this I quickly returned to my hotel room and within minutes the eye passed and the rest of the hurricane began to beat down on our hotel resort. We stayed at the Nickelodeon resort and the staff there were fantastic. Eventually the storm passed totally and we awoke with some damage to the resort but nothing life threatening. Our vacation was fantastic regardless of Mother Nature's presence! We were safe and I was a changed person spiritually! I loved our vacation! I love God!
How I deal with the unknown in my life today is totally different now than I did when I was drinking or newly sober. I no longer go on for days end worrying about something or some type of situation I am totally powerless over. I change what I can and give the rest to God. I know he is present! I no longer fill my days with anxiety to the point of paralyzing my soul, attitude or physical state. I know that God is good! I no longer ask God for things just because I am fearful of the unknown or ask for what I think certain things should be in my life in order to rid my anxiety or lack of control on someone or some situation. I have faith in God! I no longer wish for things in my life for I know what God has given me I can handle and grow from it spiritually, mentally and physically. God's will, not mine! On the other hand, I sometimes have those days where I am lacking in this area and need to remember God's presence,...but the difference is...the feelings of this never last long and I am able to rise above any occasion within so many minutes. Lastly, I no longer fear god as I did as a child. God is not punishing regardless of our situation and that is why we are given attitudes and choices on how to deal with them, perceive them and rise above things in our life.
I pray for all those that will be experiencing this tremendous Hurricane named Irene and hope that their safety and God's presence will touch all those who are willing to seek God in times of their fear, anxiety and unknown feelings that consume them. Who knows maybe someone will experience something like I did! Many blessing to those who will endure this storm! God is present!
Do you fear the unknown? If so, ask yourself what you can choose to do in order to change that rotten feeling in yourself. today, I will run with God in my heart and always remember he is present in my life!
Sobriety Fitness by Cathy Shuba is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.sobrietyfitness.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
