I don’t think that I have ever taken for granted the power and energy of a good thunderstorm, and some of my strongest childhood memories are associated with the rain.

We owned a cabin along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, and our family would spend most weekends there. The cabin was a retreat for us all; we had fishing, hiking, and plenty of exploring. It was our getaway from the Baltimore scene, and I always looked forward to taking the 41-mile trip north to spend a few days in the woods.

For some inexplicable reason, it also seemed to rain at least one day during each visit. My mother and I would sit out on the screened-in porch and watch the storms roll over us while we taped them on her portable cassette player. In the early spring storms, the last rush of wind that would push the storm over the Susquehanna and toward the northeast would always be followed by the incessant chirping of the spring peepers.

The late-summer storms always seemed so much more intense–angry, even, for the mighty clash between two fronts that refused to budge for the other. In some of these storms, the winds blew so hard, we felt a little vulnerable on the porch, with the sideways rain cutting through the screens at such forceful speeds. Still, we toughed it out as long as we could before finally heading inside. When the storm finally passed, we would survey the damage in the front yard–broken limbs and sticks everywhere. Kindling, we would say, for next-year’s fires.

And kindling it became. Dad and I would go around the perimeter of the house, collect all the branches, and take them under the porch to cut them to size for next year.

Today’s no different. The storms roll in, and we love to watch them or even go out and experience them fully.  I would hardly categorize any of us as storm chasers, but we do our fair share of “running” through storms with a little more than marginal intent.

Writer’s Tip: What weather event triggers strong emotions in you? Bring one of those events to life on the page (or in the comments section herein) and reflect on whether you’ve held on to those feelings during those events. Enjoy writing!