"Summer Storm"

acrylic on canvas, framed, image is "36x48"

This image comes from an event at Fripp Island one summer with my family when our boys were little. One afternoon while we were all down at the beach a storm moved in like a gigantic dark velvet curtain swallowing the sky. We stood in wonder as the huge thunderhead swept towards us, until the force of the wind turned the sand into tiny knives. I remember we picked up the children to protect them from the sand as we ran for cover. The rain arrived right behind the wind, creating a glycerine sheer to the billowing dark cloud curtain.

In recalling the storm, I remember so clearly how it rolled over us. No sooner had we gathered the children and started running than it was upon us, drenching us with rain and in almost the same moment, passing on. By the time we reached cover, it was gone. We hardly had time to watch it, only to run for safety.

We've all had experiences that sweep over us during our lifetimes. Some are exhilarating, some painful, but I believe all noticed or not, carry the seeds of transformation. Often there is little time to do more than run for cover. Sometimes all we can muster is to run for shelter. But there are other times when for some mysterious reason, we are open to the moment. We are able to see in what is happening to us the potential for our lives. It is those special times when we open ourselves to the possibility of growth and change.