“Storms don’t come to teach us painful lessons, rather the are meant to wash us clean” – Shannon L. Alder
The other day I was scrolling through facebook, when something caught my eye.
It was an article about a prehistoric forest that had been uncovered after a recent storm.
When I first saw the photo, I thought, “Wow, I’d love to see that”, and was about to scroll past, when curiosity (and a little voice inside) got the better of me and I read the full article:
“A prehistoric forest which was buried under water and sand more than 4,500 years ago has been uncovered by Storm Hannah.
The petrified trees lie between Ynyslas and Borth in Ceredigion county.
The forest has become associated with a 17th Century myth of a sunken civilization known as ‘Cantre’r Gwaelod’, or the ‘Sunken Hundred’.
It is believed the area was a once-fertile land and township protected by floodgates.
The remains of the forest’s trees, preserved in the local peat, have been exposed by low tides and high winds.” – BBC Website
Borth! I couldn’t believe it, for some reason I’d assumed the photo had been taken abroad, but Borth is my closest beach – it’s still over an hour away, but it’s an area I’ve visited regularly the whole time I’ve lived in Herefordshire – about 7 years now.
I quickly looked at the date of the article, it was only a few days old, the chance of the trees still being visible was high, so with the call of trees and the beach, how could I resist a trip to see for myself!
Even low tide aligned with a perfect day to the beach.
It was incredible to see.
I chatted to a few other people walking around the forest remains, one woman had travelled three hours to visit, and another 2 hours.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve visited these beaches, and I had never known about the trees.
Yet a chance scroll through facebook, a trust in the curiosity to read more, the divine timing of coming across the article and the perfect time of low tide, allowed me to combine a few of my favourite things; trees, beaches and adventure.
The uncovering of the trees reminded me of the power of the storms to reveal what we didn’t know was right under our noses.
The same is true for life-storms.
Not all storms are here to destroy us or tell us to turn back and seek shelter, many are here to reveal more of our truth to us.
In the SHEro’s Journey, the second stage of the four part journey is the Significant Challenge. It’s during this stage that we can feel as we’re in the eye of the storm, feeling tested to our limits.
Some people see this as a time to turn back, or a sign that they’re on the wrong path.
But like storm Hannah and the prehistoric forest, sometimes the storms are here to reveal the treasure that lies within.
The challenges of life storms give you a chance to review your choices, to decide how committed you are to what you’re after. They offer you the opportunity to grow and become stronger, to deepen your resolve so that you can move closer to and achieve what you desire.
Storms can reveal to you what was once hidden, in the case of the beach it was the prehistoric forest, but what treasure do the storms reveal about you?
