BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE
The weather is always news. Most national morning and evening shows include a weather segment. Often, the weather is the lead story. We spend hours of our lives inquiring about the weather. Will it be hot today? Will there be tornadoes or floods today? Or will it be rainy today? The weather report is always news regardless of the weather.
We talk about the weather a lot. If you cannot find anything else to talk about, you can always talk about the weather. For example, if you are ordering a soft drink at the local five-and-dime snack bar and you are sitting next to a stranger, you can always say something like, “It sure is hot today.” Or you can say something like, “I think we are supposed to have a lot of wind today.” If the stranger wants to talk they will likely chime in and say, “Yes, it’s really hot out there or it’s been windy.”
You can usually go from there and talk more specifically. You can say something like, “Those people out there in Kansas just about got blown off by the tornadoes.” Or you can say, “Those people over in Texas are burning up in the heat.” From there your conversation can go in other directions. You can ask, “Did you get much rain over where you live?” They will respond by saying, “No, I live over at Turkey Creek or Big Rock and we missed all that.” From there you can say, “Oh, I know John Smith over at Turkey Creek.”
The conversation can go on and on.
The weather is a good conversation starter. It’s even better if you can just have surface talk about the weather. What I mean is, the talk isn’t really personal. Hopefully you don’t have to say, “Well, my house got blown off by the tornado.” Or, “My house was burned down by the fires.” Or, “My house was flooded or destroyed by the hurricane.” Hopefully, you will never have to say, “We lost a family member due to that horrific storm.” Such a conversation would be gut-wrenching.
The news none of us want is bad news about someone being hurt or killed due to the weather, or due to anything. Bad news is never welcome.
During times of harsh weather or community tragedies, give thanks for anyone who checks on you.
We had a tornado in our town years ago. Many lives were lost. Our community was devastated. A good friend drove across town to knock on our door to ask, “Are you OK?” The telephone rang. A family member was calling to ask, “Are you OK?”
Most of the time, those same people will not be able to do much to help us but the thought goes a long way.
It is nice to know there are one, two or a few people who check on us from time to time when they are concerned. It is simply nice to know that someone cares. Maybe one of the best things you can do for a friend or just an acquaintance is to check on them and ask, “Are you OK?”
It might mean more than you can imagine. Most likely you already know.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a lifelong member of a Southern Baptist Church. He is the author of 15 books. His column is published in over 600 media outlets throughout the United States. He served as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and was the youngest person ever to be elected by acclamation. His most recent book is titled “Rambling Man With A Shaky Hand” published by Johnny House Press.