lightning in raleigh

i have a deep respect for the fury of "mother nature". i have been known to stand and watch lightning storms and not just admire but appreciate one of natures wonders. never have i been close enough to be harmed by a tornado. i have been on the gulf coast and been in a tropical depression and a storm. i love being around things such as violent storms. i have driven by bus in ohio with wind strong enough to rip whole corn stalks out of the ground and have them pummel the side of the coach and blow other vehicles off the road. my 8 year old (9 in a week) is terrified of a rain storm.
wednesday night a lightning storm came while i was sitting in the dugout. it came up fast and there was almost no rain. after about 10 minutes i could tell the storm was right on top of us. i also realized i am sitting in a concrete like bunker with tons of steel over me. about that time i heard the loudest crack i have ever heard and felt the hair on my arms stand. i yelled at one of the groundskeepers if we had taken a direct hit. he replied "yep" and never really batted an eye. it got my attention. turns out it struck a lightpole about 100 feet away. thinking it was soon to pass, i sat there "appreciating" nature. then i heard another loud crack that seemed to last about 15 seconds. i yelled "another one?" and he said "yep". i asked where and he indicated another lightpole. this one was about 50 feet away. i decided it was time to go to the clubhouse not thinking about it's metal roof.
it took me back to several years ago, sometime in the mid 1980's. i had a neighbor who was playing golf with his uncle and 2 other family members. the got caught in a thunderstorm and not only was he struck and killed by lightning, his uncle and another were too. the 4th one suffers permanent damage. i remember the day after his funeral his wife got notification he had passed his cpa exam. so much of his life was ahead of him. but isn't that true with most tradegies?
as i thought about mike it occured to me that as i am know older and others depend on me that maybe it is time to stop being such a risk taker and settle down and be more cautious. i still have small children who depend on me. the people i drive for depend on me. and i depend on me too because i still am trying to find god's purpose for me on a daily basis. i also remember helen keller's words "life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all". well, i guess the decision is obvious. i still want to god's will but who says i can't enjoy the ride. who knows, the next ride may be the best yet!!!
until next time...