We all face "Storms" in our lives that we are not prepared for. During my darkest hour I was reminded by my own novel, that some of the characters I wrote about -were forced to face their own "Storms". I was reminded that I wrote about a couple of people that faced similar or worse "storms" than my own. I came across the the central theme of the book (STORM- Service To Others Reaps Miracles) It was page 38 of my own novel that hit home with me when Bill Sanderson gives his son, Storm, some good advice. He says the following:
"What we do to help our fellow man is far more important than how we dress up to impress others on a Sunday morning. There are many "Christian" people who sit in the pews of their churches each Sunday who would never lend a helping hand to someone in need.... Our Lord wants us to serve others. When we serve our fellow man, miracles take place that we could never imagine. Always Embrace the Storm."
I now know that I wrote those powerful words almost three years ago to help my own self during my worst "Storm". During that time I heard an old Tom Petty song called "I'm Learning to Fly". The main verse of the song is- "I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings. Coming down is the hardest thing."
I later later learned that Petty wrote this song after facing tragedy in his own life. He was quoted as saying, "Everyone has tragedy in their life." He was inspired by a pilot, who said the hardest part about flying was coming down from the air. "You can lay down and let the tragedy overwhelm you, or you can fly above it, and I think that's sort of what I'm trying to say in that song. I didn't say that I can fly- I'm learning. Also we're expected to do a lot of things that we are not necessarily equipped for."
There is no doubt that I am learning to fly in my own life, and there are times when I feel like I have no wings- But guess what? I am going to do my best to live the remaining years of my life with a positive attitude of hope and service to others. I wake up each morning and pray that whatever I do- it is something that will bring about a positive impact on others. God bless you and join me in learning to fly - even if we don't have wings.
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