Thunderstorms

 Image found here

 I woke up to the sound of thunder this morning, heard rain pattering sparatically throughout the day, and right now am enjoying another big storm that has come rolling in. The windows in our little home have been opened throughout most of this time too, as I have taken in the elements outside. This has been my favorite day of the week.

"Why?" you may ask...

Because. I. Love. Thunderstorms. 

My earliest vivid memory dealt with a thunderstorm. I was four years old, and my younger sister was a newborn. We were living in a townhouse-style complex, and my Dad was working late hours at "Klondike Days" in Edmonton. I remember a huge thunderstorm happening one night when he was working. My whole room lit up, and I remember waking up crying because I was so scared. I remember walking down the hall to my parent's room, where Lindsay was screaming and crying. My memory then jumps to snuggling with my Mom in bed as she comforted both myself and my newborn sister.

I also remember my childhood best friend later on telling me that she heard that when there is a thunderstorm it means God is bowling. The thunder is the part where the balls are going down the alley, and the lightning is taking pictures if someone got a strike. I always liked that description, and looking back think it is a cute explanation for something that as a child, is confusing to fully understand.

It's strange that what was once a phenomenon that frightened me so much as to make a strong impact on my young impressionable mind, is now something that I anticipate and enjoy. I love how thunderstorms make me want to cozy up in a homemade blanket, look out the window, and take it all in. Listening to the thunder, seeing the lightning, feeling that sense of excitement, and realizing that these are the moments that make life wonderful.