A month ago, my partner Matt and I trekked by a babbling brook on the Mattabassett Trail. Fascinated the swirls of the water, I naturally asked him the definition of an eddy. From there, the conversation flowed into the difference between a cool eddy, a warm eddy, a whirlpool and a loop current. Inspired, I based my sermon that week on those metaphors.
Every time I encounter intriguing weather, I always think of Matt. The other day ice chunks fell from the sky as I drove home and I immediately wondered: Is this graupel or hail? Obviously, Matt had checked the upper atmosphere temperatures to confirm the answer prior to my arrival: it was hail. In another example, I knew a fascinating MCS (mesoscale convective system) was making its way up the coast because of the building anticipation in our household.
In honor of the weather, I recently wrote a letter to Matt that described our relationship as a “rare and beautiful polar stratospheric cloud.” Okay, I don’t actually know what that is, but it sounds really cool! Would as “rare and precious as red snow” be a better analogy? I am still working on my weather metaphors.
Like the weather, which we can always count on existing, I am thankful that after 11 years of marriage (as of today!) and 15 years of our relationship, I can always count on Matt. With a quiet devotion, Matt works behind the scenes: planting our garden, building trellises, watering plants, feeding the cats, volunteering at the cat shelter, assisting at church, texting for political campaigns, always being someone you can count on, listening, researching the ambitious plans I suggest (yes, that one is a good idea; no, that one is unrealistic), warning me of impeding storms, and teaching me the wild ways of weather itself.
I have always had a penchant for wandering around the globe, the forest and the states. I am thankful amidst the whirlwinds of life, I have found a home in Matthew. Thank you, Matt, for being my shelter in the storms and for teaching me to see the untamed majesty of the storms themselves.
Joy of the Journey 