My First Hurricane…Dorian

I learned more about hurricanes in the past week than I ever thought I would.  I’ve lived through the hot desert, and I’ve lived through blizzards, even typhoons, but never a hurricane. 

My husband and I took our family to Orlando, Florida, this past week for a getaway.  We needed some time to disconnect, decompress, and spend quality time together.  Two days into our trip, we received a text message from a family member alarming us of a category four Hurricane Dorian heading towards Florida.  As we watched the news unfold and the warnings issued to the state of Florida we realized the airport is closing down and our airline canceled all their flights for the next five days.  The first thought I had was “we are stranded!”  So just like any normal human being, I panicked and paced around the hotel room.  However, my panic was short-lived as we prayed together and read Psalm 91, which is also called The Prayer of Protection.  The hurricane was out of our control, panicking and pacing would only lead to more stress and anxiety.  Instead, we focused on what we could control by discussing our options with the hotel, learn of their hurricane plans and continue having fun.  Within an hour of our prayer, the hurricane made a slow shift away from Florida. 

Together as a family, we began watching the news whenever possible.  This trip was not only extremely fun and valuable, but it was also educational as we learned about hurricanes, and spiritual as our family learned to adapt to our situation and learn to trust God better. 

The next time you face your hurricane, literally or figuratively, you have a choice to make.  You can either dwell on it, adding more stress and anxiety to your already stressful situation, or you can take a breather, assess your reality and focus on what you can control.