While at work on Friday afternoon, I needed to pick up some color copies that were waiting for me at another business a few blocks away. The rainy day had been unpredictable, and I had left my coat at home due to the warmth of the previous weekdays. I longed to stretch my legs on a leisurely walk across town, but I did not relish the weather raining on my parade. I put the task off.

Finally, I realized if I waited any longer, it would be too late, so I donned Craig's jacket (with his permission) and headed into the grey day. The air was brisk but not too chilly, and the rain drops held off as I stepped out. I lengthened my stride, kept my head up, and breathed deeply, enjoying life. On Thursday as I had perambulated, many others had been out as well, but this afternoon was empty of pedestrians.

I finished the length of our block, and turned right, waiting at the crosswalk for the signal to change. As I waited, small balls of almost-ice began falling from the sky. They were not in a hurry to hit the earth; instead they took their time and tried to space out their descents as though parachuting with buddies. I enjoyed the solid thud as they landed on my hair and jacket, and I realized they were not wet enough to be uncomfortable and not hard enough to be painful. The wind velocity increased, and I leaned into it to cross the street.

As I continued down the length of the second block, I analyzed my feelings. Wind thrills me. The stronger it is, the happier I become. This has always been the case as long as I can remember. With a huge smile on my face, I breathed the temperature-dropping air. My hair waved wildly behind me (I do NOT like when the wind pushes my hair stubbornly into my face, but this was perfect wind blowing my hair away from my face) and I thought of how content I was with life.

I am married to an incredible man. He loves me so much, and I am head-over-heels for him. We don't always agree on how to do things, but when that happens we are willing to discuss it, and compromise. Sometimes only one of us compromises to allow the other one to have their way, and sometimes we both compromise to agree on something altogether different from what either of us wanted. We both know that when we are angry with each other, we are still in love with each other. There is security in our relationship.

I have a wonderful girl in high-school. Kimmie stretches herself to become the lovely young lady whom God has made her to be, and she is succeeding. Of course there are times when she falls flat on her face, and there are times when she begs to give up. But when she turns back to God, He helps her up again, and she's off for another round. She brings so much life and joy to my heart and to our house. She's exuberant. She's funny. Her sense of humor is light-hearted and refreshing, and I love her with all my heart.

I have an adorable baby at home. Liberty is at the delightful stage in babyhood where she laughs at the slightest facial expression. Her high-pitched giggles and coos could melt the most angry heart. Her chubby legs wave excitedly, and her arms stretch out to capture her toes as those tiny piglets wiggle before her eyes. She is still immobile, so she's safe (and so is everything around her). Sure, she comes with dirty diapers, and sometimes inconvenient needs, but she's mine. My precious. (Sorry, had to say it.)

God has given us even more than just a beautiful family (which is enough), but He's also given us a beautiful home. As I walked, I thought of my living room/dining room/kitchen with the warmly inviting red walls, and a smile tugged at my lips. God has given me what I always wanted growing up, red walls. I really live in a house with red walls! I thought to myself, and praised God all over again for His wonderful gift to me.

My thoughts flitted onward to my occupation. I thoroughly enjoy my job, and I have nice, fun people to work with (Craig and occasionally Kathy).

I sighed happily to myself. I would not change a thing if I had the opportunity. Well, the only thing I would change would be Jeremy's work schedule. I would love for him to be on day-shift instead of working nights. Other than that, I carefully re-examined each aspect, I definitely would not change a thing. If Liberty never got any older, if Kimmie stayed at her current level, if we never moved to a bigger/better house, if I always have this same job...I would still be completely happy.

Then God whispered, "What if it all changed? What if Jeremy got laid-off? What if Kimmie grew up and left for college? What if Liberty learned to walk and cry and say 'No!' to me? What if your house burned down? Would you still praise Me like this?"

I thought about it.

Truthfully, I don't know how I would react. I hope that I would still praise whole-heartedly. Yes, I'm happy because life seems to be sailing along just perfectly (with several little squalls to keep life interesting), but really, my true happiness is not tied to things or people. My happiness is tied to my relationship with God. If all else disappeared, and only God remained, I want to be able to say, "I'll praise you in the storm."

And that is exactly what I did on Friday afternoon. I walked through the slush-laden road, stared down the wind, lifted my face to the grey sky, was pelted by icy drops (isn't icy a cool word - no pun intended, but definitely enjoyed!) and praised in the storm.

God, please give me Your grace to praise when the real storms come into my life.