Is anyone else as surprised as I am that November is here? I suppose when you have an extended summer you expect the rest of the months and seasons to stretch out a bit as well. But the rain is back and the winds are rattling the windows. Ready or not, it鈥檚 November.

Last Sunday we had our annual family gathering to celebrate my daughter鈥檚 birthday and supply the grandkids and nieces and nephews with their Halloween pumpkins. Even though Grandpa doesn鈥檛 grow the pumpkins any more, it is still a lot of work for him to drive to the pumpkin patch, load them, unload and spread them around in the garden so it looks like he grew them.

It had rained steadily for two days and I was prepared for the worst. But on Sunday morning the sun was shining and the rain held off all day. Everyone spent the afternoon outside, and as the adults reminisced about Halloweens gone by, the kids jumped and ran and threw balls and the dogs raced around the yard endlessly. A lot of pent-up energy was released.

It was an easy afternoon with lots of laughs and a chocolate cake with candles to mark another year gone by. I learned things about my kids I never knew as some old trick or treat stories were dusted off. I was surprised to find out they weren鈥檛 the angels I had thought they were.

A large flock of geese flew over and I learned that the reason one line of the vee is always longer is because there are more geese in that line. An informative fall day for sure.

We made the most of the break in the storm. There is a good lesson there, because we were never promised a calm passage, just a safe harbour. Maybe our storm is a hurricane gathering strength in our personal life and if we take some time, take a break away, the worst will blow over.

When we see a glimmer of sunshine in those dark clouds, that鈥檚 the time to re-stock, refresh and gather strength for the next heavy weather that is bound to arrive. We鈥檝e all watched and listened to the earthquakes and hurricanes around us this week and here we sit, quiet and safe in the middle; in the break in the storm.

I recall walking through a Tofino rain forest during a torrential downpour and not realizing the rain had stopped until I realized how quiet it had gotten. Look for the peace and quiet during the breaks in the storms of your life. At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.

Break in the Storm

It Stopped!

I hadn鈥檛 noticed the break in the rain

Until the gulls appeared again;

Out from their shelter to swoop and soar,

Their cries swept away by the ocean鈥檚 roar;

They glide on currents pulling clouds apart,

Exposing a canvas for West Coast art.

But God!

Close your eyes and breathe the air,

Let the salt spray strip your senses bare;

Smell the forest, the moss, the sea,

Hear the raindrops slip from tree to tree;

Take a seat, relax, watch nature perform,

It鈥檚 just intermission, a break in the storm.