Mother Nature: She can be a bear.
I have been consumed lately by all things weather. I looked on weather.com today because I know there has been trouble in the skies. I am always fascinated with the pictures of damage and destruction. They had a slide show of the top 100 photos from the year (with a few from previous years). http://www.weather.com/news/science/weathercoms-top-100-photos-2013-20131216
If you have some time, I highly recommend viewing the collection. It is a sobering experience. It brings life to the old adage, "No matter how bad you think you've got it, someone else is worse off." Living in the Plains, we see several different forces of nature each year. I think Nebraska has been relatively lucky in 2013. I know there were some tornadoes, flooding, etc. but I think we can all thank God that we weren't living in parts of Oklahoma and Illinois which saw extreme devastation and loss of life from tornadoes, or parts of Colorado either engulfed in flame or washed away by flooding. These are just a few that I can remember off the top of my head.
I loved watching Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel, but now that it's no longer on air, I am following the adventures of Mr. Reed Timmer and his web-series Tornado Chasers. You do have to pay to view the episodes, but I believe in the work that he's doing, so I am happy to do this. Also, he's quite the character. The episodes are action-packed with incredible footage. They can literally drive into tornadoes with their custom built vehicles. I love it. I think it draws me in even more because I was born and raised in tornado alley. The passion of those involved in this series is incredible.You can check out the website at http://tvnweather.com/
As the holidays draw near, please say an extra prayer for those people who are without their loved ones due to the forces of nature. They may have rebuilt their homes, purchased new things...but nothing can replace the life of a family member or friend. The pictures I saw in the weather.com collection are a humble reminder that the best things in life aren't things.
Seasons Greetings to you all.
-S
