Short Stories

The Storm

By: Rosalie Dale Bullock

One stormy day in May of 1993 my 5 year old granddaughter, Amanda , had come to visit for the day.

Soon after she got to our home, a storm began to stir in our area. I began to see that she was getting uncomfortable with the progression of the storm. I suggested we go into the Sun Room.

The Sun Room is gazebo shaped with 16 paladin windows from floor to ceiling. The room is 21’ across with a 16’ ceiling. There is very little wall space to this room, it is mostly windows . The room jets out the back of our home into a wooded area with lots of tall oak trees. Amanda was reluctant to go out there with me at first but I told her we could watch the storm.

Well, she climbed into my lap and confessed that she was afraid of storms.

Here was my opportunity to tell a wonderful story to her!

As we watched the storm getting closer and closer it began to really whip the trees to and fro. Some of the smaller trees were bending way down!

I told her that God had given us the rain to wash the trees, shrubs and the whole earth, also to make the flowers more beautiful than ever. I made up a little song about how the trees were talking to the God, saying, "wash me, wash me, I want to come clean...I will dance for you, swaying to and fro until you wash me clean as I can be, I will dance, dance, dance all the night through, until I become as pretty as you."

I got up and began to dance like a ballerina, reaching high and bending low, twirling, twirling, to and fro. I told her I was a tree taking ballerina lessons. Soon Amanda got up and began to dance with me.

Pretty soon she began to have fun and we watched the rain, listened to the thunder, and watched the lightning. That was God saying to the trees, I will wash you and make you clean, this is my command to the maker of the rain. The trees liked it so much they danced for God!

When the storm was over, she exclaimed, Oh Nana, look how clean and happy the trees are. I am not afraid of storms anymore.©

To this day, she tells me that the trees are dancing for God. I am sure she will tell her children that same story one day.