LIGHTENING STRIKES ME UP CLOSE MAY27,2009

Thursday night May 27, 2009, I planned to attend the square dance class I was taking to become more social, since my husband's death a year and a half ago. I had set a goal of doing the Lord's will in ALL things! That was my conflict that night. It was single adult night at the temple. I rationalized that most single adults did not usually go on their assigned night, and, that my class was instruction which when missed would put me further behind. But.... I had promised the Lord to do His will in all things and the prompting to go to the temple kept repeating itself throughout the day. Yes, I attended the temple! As I was driving home and pondering my temple visit, I marveled at the exquisite display of lightning on the horizon. After I got home, the display was brighter, louder and obviously closer. Loving to watch lightening,
I drove my car over to the nearby airport to enjoy the spectacular lightening show. As I watched the sky light up with streaks and flashes from all directions --connecting across the sky or striking straight to the ground dramatically,I was in awe of Heavanly Father's creations and unbelievable power and control! The displays were met with hand claps and squeels from the children nearby, observing the magnificent display with their parents. I marveled at a couple of the horizontal zigzags which were an orange hue, of wider thickness and causing an even more powerful thunderous explosion. Many of the dramatic streaks made earthshaking rumblings of increased intensity. The beauty of the moment gave way to rain, but didn't end our electric show of light. I decided to head home. I was preparing some potatoe salad to share with a neighbor, when my house and all outdoors become brighter than the sun, but with much, much more intensity of white and accompanied by a sonic boom depth explosion! Must have hit REALLY close, I thought. After a couple of such intense lightening displays, it seemed to calm a bit. I then decided to venture out. The cool wet ground felt good beneath my bare feet and I was armed with an umbrella to stay dry from the sprinkling drops. Two mistakes! Umbrellas are made of metal framing, and, wet feet on bare ground is an even greater conducter for electricity. As I clung to the plastic nob at the base, the wind whipped a blow to my umbrella. I instinctively thought to reach up to steady it, but a quick thought said to not worry about it. Precisely at that moment, there in the middle of the street, a whiteness that was thick and undescribably warm and full of pressure shook the ground beneath me as a deafening degree of explosion sounded in my ears! At the precise moment of the explosion, my umbrella pressed down on my hand as it scattered huge sparks of flame and warmth all around me with a jarring sensation. I threw my umbrella, screaming "bloody murder" as I looked behind me to see the intense whiteness was still upon me and the whole street and, also, a palm tree was on fire behind me. I took a second to see if I was still alive, then immediately scrambled as fast as my weak legs could carry me to my friends house as I continued screaming! What I later learned was that had I grabbed the umbrella to steady it from the wind, being barefoot as well, I would have been immediately been electrocuted-dead! The lightening had struck the tall palm tree a couple of doors down and exploded the frawns, scattereing them all around the road, yards, and roofs of all the neighbors and catching the neighboring palm tree on fire. The palm tree owner's neighbor ended up with his entire circuit box being wiped out, and another neighbor's underground water main broken. At another, the whole picture window blown out and another neighbor 4 or 5 glass panes being shattered in their front window. My own house had part of the cooler cover shorn away, pictures thrown off the wall, cupboad doors thrown open.
Another neighbor had the nails in the ceiling of her kitchen and bedroom drop down. The truck parked beneath the palm tree had lightening pass through the top of it and through the driveway, (hense the broken water main). I was truly blessed that night to be alive! I have no doubt that the Lord was telling me it was not my time to go , but, that I needed to not be wasteful of my minutes on earth, for I had many assignments left to accomplish. Writing this and sharing it with others is one of those assignments, I am sure! I awoke the next morning greatful to be alive, and anxious to do all that was required of me that day and every day thereafter, to be the best intrument I could possibly be for the Lord. Writing this and sharing this experience with others was one of those assignments, I am sure! Evidence of the Lord's love for me (and each of you too!), and the message of how important life is and that it is not to be wasted frivolously, was indelibly engraved upon my soul! We each have purposes, assignments and missions to accomplish during our sojurn on earth. I am so greatful for my lesson and message! I know now, the importance of putting the Lord first and following His will in all things! What would happened that night had I not followed the Lord's will in all things........? As C.S. Lewis stated through Aslan the Lion in LION WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, "it is not for us to know what would have happened." All I know, is that I was blessed to experience a miracle that night! Yes, I made some foolish choices, but it goes deeper than that. I believe timing of things in life is no accident, but instead is giving us lessons and purpose for enduring to the end in "wearing out our lives in service to Him" who gave life to us and His life for us. May you too look for His "signatures" in your life which define who you are and what you are about. I know I will!!!!