Smile and give thanks...you're in a much better place

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you

Blessed are you among women

And blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus

Holy Mary Mother of God

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Hail Mary full of grace......

And the hushed plea went on and on and on with all the zeal and fortitude i could master regarding the circumstances. I frequently made the sign of the cross and clutched onto my rosary like my life depended on it. Oh well it did at that moment. After all, isn’t God the ultimate panacea in crunch?

It was such a tempestuous rain and being caught in the middle of nowhere at its onset is by far the creepiest incident I’ve been subjected to in ages.

I can’t say I'm an “uptown girl”, but there are events I'm just not accustomed to; such as standing for lengthy periods, being soaked by rain et al.  With palpitations and my legs hurting so badly I thought I would pass out. I was shaking like a leaf from the cold with teeth chattering loudly. Furthermore, with each lightning and rumbling episode, I screamed "mummy" akin to a toddler. I was such a sight to behold!

The lady and two bikers with me at the overhang of the building we used as shelter kept laughing and saying I’m a spoiled brat. I am not spoiled; neither am I a brat. Such luxury is for rich kids. I’m just not used to some conditions; am only human after all.

For a moment, i mused on all the wrongs i had done; supposing that God was obviously punishing me for my transgressions hitherto. I mean, why else would He opt to send a downpour precisely when i was in town with no umbrella, sweater and far from sufficient shelter?

Now, i envisage the destitute children who experience such horrors night and day without any way out. These little souls endure so much! 

In the event that it rains, they get sodden time and again and have no change of clothes or an aspirin to bring down the fevers that may ensue.  Envision sleeping in the same drenched garments on an equally damp surface! My heart bleeds for them.

I have since done some soul searching alongside musing and realized that am deeply favored by God. Yes i was in a bad situation but i was none the worse for the weather. I mean, i have a home to go to,had a warm bath, neat change of clothes, cup of hot chocolate and a cozy bed to retire to after all; which things may seem trivial to those of us fortunate enough to access and enjoy them; but are a luxury to the multitudes of little innocent souls roaming aimlessly and helplessly on the streets.This comprehension humbled me a great deal!

In the wake of this ordeal, I have learned to appreciate and embrace life and all the heavenly mercies bestowed upon me. I guess adversities have a way of "shaking" and "shaping" us up a tad!

On the flip side however, i had some fun amidst all the hideous emotions caused by the storm ha ha ha. See, from where we were waiting on the rain to cease, we could visibly observe the happenings on the road. It had been flooded and vehicles had a rough time going through. It was an overly hilarious sight; with drivers wriggling to beat the floods, swaying left to right, back and forth. So i took out my phone and started taking photos and recording these scenarios, taking a mental note of who "the boys were from the men" and awarding marks as well. This made my wait less painful.

Those 2 guys...hahaha

Life's ironies!