View from the Plaza Prayer Station - If You Don't Like the Weather... Wait!

Noon at the Plaza

What a difference a few hours can make.  When I arrived at the prayer station today it was in the upper 40's with clear blue sky.  I was so excited by the sun that I decided to try to sit outside.  For about the first hour it was nice, at least when the wind wasn't blowing.  The sun warmed my back, and I saw a couple of students come outside to eat.  I even saw my first skateboard dudette!  Then I started to notice the clouds rolling in.  My Weather Channel phone app told me that the temperature was still the same, but without the sun, the Plaza got very cold.  I huddled deeper in my coat and tucked my hands into fists inside my gloves.  Today visitors to the prayer station were interested in conversation, though I did get one prayer request from a new person.  One of the Canterbury students brought her lunch out while the sun was still shining, and as I had brought a sandwich for myself, we chatted while we ate.  A couple of staff members also stopped by to talk. 

Less than 2 hours later

By the time I decided to pack up and head inside, the sky had completely changed.  Though snow was in the forecast, it had been hard to believe when I arrived and sat in the bright sunshine. By the time I left to warm up in the coffee shop, I was convinced.  When I got in the car to head to my colleague group meeting, the snow was pouring down.  I realize that's not the right verb for snow, but that's what it looked like.  As I look at the two pictures, I am astonished that only a couple of hours separates them.  How quickly things can change.  At noon it was all bright and sunny, and by 1:30  the storm was rolling in.  Yesterday, there was a similar change at CNU, though it went from stormy to calm, and it didn't involve the weather.

At about 6:30 yesterday morning I awakened to a text, followed by a phone call, followed by an email, all telling me that CNU was on lock-down and that everyone needed to stay inside.  A man had been seen on campus carrying a handgun.  Scary.  I figured most of the students were safe, tucked in their beds, although now they might be awake from the alerts coming into their phones.  I waited a little while and then texted the Canterbury students.  Sure enough, they were all in their rooms and seemed to be okay.  8 a.m. classes were canceled, but before 9:00 we got the all clear. 

The story was on the news, and I learned today that nearby schools had stepped up security as they waited to hear what was going on at CNU.  The only thing I could imagine was that someone had simply been walking across campus going from point A to point B while carrying a gun.  Seemed unlikely, but I didn't have a better explanation.  I kept CNU in my prayers all day, praying for safety and relief from fear, praying that the person wasn't hidden away somewhere waiting to do harm. 

Later in the afternoon we received an email:  "CNU police investigation has determined that the individual suspected of carrying a gun on campus this morning was actually a CNU employee who was carrying a broken piece of equipment that was mistaken for a handgun."  Relief.  There hadn't been a gun after all.  Some were irritated that the alert had happened at all.  Others were just grateful - better safe than sorry.  The potential storm clouds dissipated.  CNU was back to normal.  Only a few hours had elapsed.

What a difference a few hours can make whether the storm is rolling in or out.  There's that old saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes."  Seems to be true for metaphorical weather as well.  Sometimes it's hard watching the storm roll in, wanting to hold on to those sunny blue skies.  But the only way for it to move on through is for it to move on through.  Likewise, it can be so hard in the midst of the storm to remember what clear skies look like.  They will return.  We never know when the weather's going to change. 

Tonight the wind is still and the snow has ended, leaving the grass looking like it's been frosted with icing.  The temperature is dropping into the teens.  Clear skies have returned but no warmth remains.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring.