Desert Lightning

For some reason, my favorite memory is the lightning in the desert. When I was five, my family moved from San Diego, California to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We drove through the desert for several days, and one night we got caught in a  thunderstorm. We were driving through a desert wasteland, in almost pitch black darkness, when I heard the thunder. The car shook from the noise, but then the lightning came. I could see it emerge from a cloud and rush to meet the Earth followed by a nearly deafening crack. I was scared, but my mom assured me that it would be okay. It happened several more times. I will never forget how the lightning filled the car with radiant light for only milliseconds before it disappeared forever. Maybe it's my favorite memory because the image was so strong to me back then that it burned into my mind. It was a symbol of mother nature's power over us, the poor and defenseless beings that are just visitors in her world.