Rain, rain go away

I remember when I was a little kid being terrified of thunderstorms. Of course, I was mostly afraid of the earth-shaking thunder that vibrated the heart within my chest and caused me to cower behind the sofa.

Little did I know that it was the lightning, gusty winds and torrential downpours that were the bigger threats.

As I got older, I learned to respect the awesome power of a storm. I still find myself shuddering at the loud cracks that rattle the doors and windows of my home. But I am also intrigued by the beauty of nature ... so much so that I once considered being a storm chaser the ultimate dream job.

Fast forward a few years (or a decade or two): now I have my own little girl who has inherited her mother's (and grandfather's) fear of storms. Just in the last few weeks I have seen the fear in her eyes as she climbed into my bed following a particularly boisterous clap.

With her little body shaking, I pulled her under the covers with me, stroked her hair and realized exactly what it meant to be a mother. "It's OK baby, I said. Mommy will save you."