Tracy - Wei Liping - #0505020198

Face to face with the most devastating storm, everybody has his unique story to tell, then what about mine?

Adversity

No one had expected it! The once gentle snow would turn its back on us and reveal its monstrous look. The whole blanket of snow, which could only be witnessed in a fairyland turned out to be the setting of a horrible disaster. For about one month, the storm accompanied us with roaring gusts that raged across the province, destroying everything in its swath. The whole world, for me, fell prey to the storm.

The derelict scene extended as far as the eye could see. Trees were frozen stiff and you could hear them snap now and then. Even some big ones collapsed under the unbearable weight of snow. The roads covered by slippery ice were no longer safe to travel on, thus leaving the transportation system almost paralyzed. Large electrical poles were turned upside down causing widespread power failure. Water mains were broken apart due to continuous freezing temperatures. People on the streets had to watch their step in case the snow lumps fell down from rooftops. It seemed that all of a sudden, we were forced to march gloriously back to the old times, a time when human beings were deprived of the basic necessities. Thousands of families were left helpless in the face of such a mighty nature, all they could do was to cope negatively with the extreme difficulties and inconveniences brought about by the storm, and my family was no exception.

A Great Lesson

My family was almost just like thousands of others; however, what made us different was that we fought positively against the storm. Everyday after a hasty supper, my father and I sat by the candle and talked, with no complains about the adversity we were experiencing, giving no curse to the bad weather that nature was demonstrating. The heavy snow didn’t seem to bring much trouble to us mentally because we succeeded in carrying on what seemed to be happy talks. I discussed with him my trivial school life, my interests, and my ambitions. He told me about his school days back 40 years ago, his dates with mom, as well as his understanding of my choices. Never had we talked like this before and this made me gain a bettering understanding of my father. Before, I took it for granted that my father didn’t care so much about me because he was always ready to disapprove of everything I had enthusiasm for, but now I understand. His stern faces, which always drove me away, were his way of concealing his feelings. He cultivated a critical tone because he expected more improvements from me. I tended to think he was always casting doubts on my proposals and it was just because he was so awkward in expressing his feelings.

The storm did inflict a great deal of torture on me physically, however, to some extend, I have learned a great lesson from my father because of it. “Some things are not to be spoken but to be felt”, that’s the inspiration I’ve drawn from my father and for me it’s a life long beneficial lesson!