In the path of the tornado...

People come and go in our lives on a daily basis. Most of the time they are like falling stars. You catch a brief glimpse of who they are, and then they are gone just as fast. They leave no lasting impact, but you saw them and they effected your world, if only for a moment. People you pass on the street, that guy tailgating you on the freeway, the lady at the checkout isle...all brief shooting stars. I suppose one might not enjoy giving the jerk riding their bumper a glorified title like 'shooting star,' but even that jerk has his own light and whether you like it or not, he has colored your world for a short time.

What I find amazing is that these shooting stars sometimes land on our front steps, or in our homes, or even in our laps. They land and they stay. Sometimes they burn crazy hot and bright. The heat might be so intense as to raze our homes or ourselves to ash. Sometimes they shine bright at first, but tarnish over time until they eventually fade and just become another rock in the yard. Some simply endure...they land, they shine and they never leave. Somedays they shine brighter than others, but their light never goes out until death speeds them from this mortal coil, and even then the memory of their light often remains.

How can we tell when one of these falling stars will burn us? How can we tell when they will remain and light our way? Are their signs? Can we catch stars before they land? Can we alter their course? I don't believe we can control the crossing of paths, but I do believe people "fall" into our lives for a reason. I think the most important question is which will burn us and which will stay as friends and loved ones.

I look at the people in my life now and wonder who will remain. These people land in my life, they stand up, and then I notice them. Some stand closer to me than others, and some remain just out of sight, but I saw their star land, so I know they are there. They stand as witness to my life, and depending on how close they stand, they might feel what I feel. I think this is what sets people apart...most people will stand close to you when the sun is shining bright on your little patch of earth. They will stand beside you, hold your hand, laugh with you and break bread. But life is tempestuous at best. The weather can change rapidly, without warning, and that sun quickly turns to hail, wind and ruin.

Some of the falling stars will bend with that wind. They might get pushed away from you as you suffer the storm, and they may or may not return with the sun. Some see the rain coming and run for shelter. Those are not the people I want in my life. Then there are those that stand right beside you. The wind hits, you thrash about and sway with the storm, they endure pain and abuse just by standing so near to you, but they hold your hand, grit their teeth and help keep you steady. They stand with you, like a rock, and when that storm passes, they remain. They are battered, both by you and by their own storms, but they are still with you. These are the 'stars' that endure. If you ever wonder, 'Who is my friend? Who can I count on?' just wait for a storm to hit. Those who will stand with you, directly in the path of the tornado, those who will grip you like a chain and not let the winds take you, those that pick you up after the cacophony fades, those are your friends. Those are the people who will never bend or break.

I value everyone that enters my life. Coworkers, the baristas that serve me my coffee every morning, the guy that swipes my card at the gym, my friends from years past. Most of these people are unaware, but my own star has landed near to them. As I look at people in my life, I wonder if they look and see me. I wonder if they know that when the sleet and hail starts to tear at their faces that Brandon, a stranger to some, will stand with them and endure. Storm after storm will pass, and I will remain because that is what I do.

I write this for myself and for my friends. For myself to remind me that I am not alone. For my friends to thank them for who they are to me, and to remind them, I am Brandon, I am here, and so long as I draw breath, I will never leave you to face the wrath of life's storms on your own.