Exiting The Storm Blanket

A piece of writing I did several years ago...

The best time to do this is late in the day--close to when the first signs of sunset are starting to take shape, but a little before. The one necessary "ingredient" for this experience is a thunderstorm (or, at least, a pouring rain--though a little, or a lot, of lightning in the picture makes it so much better). This must be a thunderstorm with an end somewhere in sight, rather than one that has set in to last all night, statewide. You can look on your local weather channel that shows a radar map to find out which direction to head. Head west, if at all possible for the best effect! You're in your car now and starting to drive to where you exit the storm blanket. At this point, you're surrounded by the storm's fury: the torrents of rain, the lightning, the thunder, and the nearly-black sky. Look for a brighter sky in the distance and head towards it. When you arrive, you'll find a newly-washed world of incredible beauty! The sky will be the palest of blue, yet will have a glow to it--perhaps, a hint of sunset copper, too, along with a few wisps of cotton-candy clouds. In fact, the very space surrounding you and your car will seem to glow! Raindrops dangling from tree leaves, fences, and utility wires will sparkle like diamonds. Birds, too, will gather here and there on those utility wires. Sunlight will be reflected in the windows of farm houses that are still wet from the recent rain. Look in the rear-view mirror and see the storm still going on in your recent past! Park your car somewhere--perhaps, in an old family cemetery, or a roadside rest park--and step out into the newness of it all, feeling how angel-soft the light breezes of this new creation feel on your face! If you are especially blessed, you might discover bits and pieces of a rainbow--or even an entire rainbow forming an arc on a distant horizon. At least once in my life, I've even experienced a double rainbow! Water forming puddles here and there will pick up the sky's reflection and glow with the wonder of it all! Little kids venture out of their homes to splash in the puddles and wave at you as you drive by. Curious animals watch you as you travel on your way. Do they know what has brought you out their way? Soft, multicolored clouds gather on the horizon to form a nest for the sun to set into while the first star--the wishing star--sparkles like a diamond in the sky. Soon, the sun will retire, and the moon will shine in all of its glory! What a time to be alive!