Saturday, April 15, 2006

Freaky, Fearsome Good Friday

It was a textbook example of pathetic fallacy.

We had just finished an amazing Good Friday feast of Greek salad, baked trout with scallop dressing, grilled sea bass and homemade mushroom risotto; this after a languid afternoon of wine and hot tubbing. Maybe we were enjoying ourselves just a little bit too much up in God's country.

The sky began to darken; the drizzle began. Thunder, lightening and heavier rain forced us to preempt a stroll to the beach and sprint back before the skies opened up. Marble-sized hailstones began showering down on the grass and roadways as we watched from the front porch. Suddenly, the little bits of hail seemed to start clumping into much larger projectiles, and the sound changed from a gentle sprinkle to one of loud crashing and popping. We were watching golf ball sized objects pummeling the cars and anything else in sight. Inside it sounded like the roof was coming down. Going upstairs I heard so much battering I thought the a hole would open up any minute.

Back out on the porch, I now observed the hail was getting even larger - approaching the size of tennis balls! It felt so unreal and dramatically like an apocalyptic moment was approaching for sure. Someone suggested that perhaps we should be taking cover downstairs, but none of us could move; transfixed by the awesome power of God and nature. We picked up a few of the ice balls that landed near us, and saw they were a strange mixture of rounded hail aggregates, dirt and other strange debris making them very hard, jagged and dense, and having the weight and texture of rocks. Some were splitting apart on impact.

In the inky blackness we glanced at our vehicles on the driveway and wondered how badly they would be damaged. We stowed away some of the evidence in the freezer. You can get an idea of what they looked like by visiting Life through the Eyes of a Small Town Girl, who was among those sharing the adventure with me.

Finally it ended. We couldn't survey the damage until the morning light, so we went to bed, shaken but glad to be alive.

The next day, we joined everyone else in town who were checking out the destruction. It seemed that most cars parked outdoors had dents and dings of varying degrees. The hot tub cover had sustained many partial perforations.

Then we noticed that the lawn was covered with craters, and resembling something more like an alien crop circle than the aftermath of a storm.

"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split... When the centurion and those with him...saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Matthew 27:51-54

Amen.


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Update: Check this out from the same storm (h/t to Unnamed Source). What a blast!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome and profound!

Anonymous said...

I still have some of the hail stones in the freezer! Never a dull moment in Bruce County!!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Yeah, you guys have all the fun!

Sara said...

i have pics of the iceburg that went through the maritimes but I can't find it :(

I'm no fun... but I did watch an easter bunny beat people up lol

Sara said...

oh yah check out http://fundthechild.blogspot.com and let me know what you think

Anonymous said...

Murmuring with a hundred voice choir was the thought that came to me this morning. No nation can stand with murmurers and mockers given unlimited free rein. I heard last night on the "Drudge Report" that they are recording a tune that mocks President Bush with a hundred voice choir. Now it seems to me that the West has the freedom to mock it's President but where is the freedom in the rest of the world to do the same? Only in the West can this happen. So as Time magazine covers says "Be afraid, be very afraid", they just might get the kind of President in the future that they want, then the events leading up to "Freaky Friday" and Armageddon might just be around the corner.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Mary - Awesome and profound!!

Anonymous said...

Every time I hear someone mocking our leaders (or U.S. leaders) I am happy, whether I support said leader or not.

I am even more happy when, over time after the mockery, I read other reports about the mockers, which indicate they are not in prisons, concentration camps, dead or "re-educated".

When the East bloc countries were first liberated, there was a rapid rise in media literacy. At first, you could sell them anything with 1950s style advertising. After a time, the people became as unwilling to believe everything the media says as they are here. A rapid rise in critical thinking experience. So don't worry about the hundred voice choir making fun of Bush. Will it sway anyone's opinion? Doubtful. Conclusive proof that there were WMSs in Iraq might change opinions. Not mockery. All it does is show people in other countries that freedom of expression here really is freedom of expression.

From the earlier post: I see no problem with politicians mentioning God, as long as they are not claiming authority from God, they are not claiming the laws they promote are sent by God, and they are not puppets of a theocracy. Swearing oaths on a Bible is appropriate for a Christian. A primary function of religion is to remind us that we are not ourselves gods, and that we will make mistakes.

Happy Easter to all!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Liberal Supporter - You make some excellent points. It is this very freedom of expression that those who vilify Western countries would seek to destroy.

I do hope you are right that the majority of people will see through the haze of MSM and think for themselves. Sometimes I think they are more interested in getting their next little toy for the home entertainment system, and just make a hasty decision at the polling booth based on the propaganda they've been exposed to.

Regarding the "G"-word, I think Stephen Harper is humble enough to realize that Canada needs God's protection, and so I agree with your assessment.

The Post has had continuous letters to the editor on this discussion ever since Warren Kinsella wrote his terrific piece.

Anonymous said...

Healthy dialogue is good! Everyone had a good post!