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The last time I wrote you I talked about power outages, and how that related to priorities.

Now that the storm has come and gone, I want to talk about life after the storm.

Before I begin, let me offer my prayers to you if you're one of thousands who sustained damages, food spoilage, loss of income, or homelessness due to the storm. It's certainly difficult reading and hearing about these stories.

As I send this email, I now know that my 48-hour power outage was small potatoes compared to Linda, a woman who rang my order up Sunday.

Her power was out last Sunday through Saturday. When it finally did come on Saturday afternoon, a pipe in her shower wall burst and flooded rooms upstairs in her condo. Amazingly, she was at work Sunday morning, and had a pleasant attitude.

How is it that people like Linda who have experienced something crappy in their life can still manage to smile, keep going, and make others feel good in the process?

I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me! 😫

Seriously, people like Linda have a perspective that is hard for me to come by naturally. They go through life knowing that they're not always entitled to good fortune, and that problems are just another obstacle to overcome.

There seems to be this sense of resilience and a faith in God that keeps them from cracking under pressure.

Let's bring it home.

This is the type of resilience you'll need if you're going to recover after a storm in your marriage.

Here's the thing about storms ...

• They're self-defined (you get to decide what you consider a storm)

• Some storms happen because you're breathing

• Some happen because of something you've done

• Others happen because of something someone else has to you done

No matter how you slice it, storms are natural occurrences, and another one is coming before too long.

How will you handle life after the storm?

• Will you recover or wilt?

• Will you give up or clean up?

• Will you love or hate?

• Will you seethe and become bitter or will you seek [God] and become better?

The prize goes to the spouse who has resilience and a faith in God that keeps them from cracking under pressure.

Yeah, the storm is coming.

But, there's life after the storm.

Kevin