Rain, Rain...

It's raining today.  This means that parts of the driveway will become mush rendering it almost impassable.  Most outdoor duties have been halted.  There will be no laundry hung to dry in the winter sun, and no firewood will be cut or chopped.

Many people get depressed on rainy days.  Some simply complain about it.  Others hate it, but I have learned that life is too short, too precious, too beautiful to ignore the simple beauty of rain.

It is an often ignored gift, and many times an overlooked blessing.

Still, I love the rain.  

I love...

     the sound of rain as it hits the roof. 

     how it looks washing down the hill in rivulets, and how it raises the level of the creek.   

     the smell it leaves behind. 

     how greens seem greener and reds seem redder.
     how everything seems more vibrant after a rain.  

     the feel of it on my face.

     puddles. 

     watching children play in it splashing and stomping in puddles with unadulterated joy.

     the sense of new beginnings after a rain.

     the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after a good, long rain.

     how it washes away the dust and grime.

I didn't always feel this way. For a long time I wasn't a fan of rain.  It made everything wet. It ruined my shoes.  It mixed with this red Georgia clay turning it into a goopy mess that clung to everything and muddied my floors.  It made the days look dreary.  Everything seemed seemed gray, or worse: Georgia clay red.

  

But then one day I went dancing.
Well, more like running and laughing, but to me it was like dancing. I danced in the rain.

I don't know what happened exactly.  I was looking out at all the mess the rain was making, and something came over me.  I grabbed my daughters hand and I ran.  I ran right out the front door onto the porch and down the porch steps into the pouring rain.  An I felt free.  I felt joy.  It was amazing. The best part is that my beautiful girl didn't blink.  She ran with me and she laughed.  And then I laughed. We held hands and spun around and around our skirts twirling in the rain, our faces to the sky. We ran half way up the hill trying to dodge the slickest muddy spots, and then I stopped.  I stopped and I breathed in the freshest air I had in a very long time.  I looked around and I finally saw it.  I saw the gift that this rain truly was.  The gift that rain truly is.

I guess the reality is that I do know what happened that day.  God answered my prayer, and I received His gift of joy once again with open arms.  I had been going through such a dry spell.  My life was unusually stressful at that time and I had let it get the best of me.
So here I was dancing in the rain while His joy washed over me, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.  When I walked back into the house, the backs of my legs splattered with mud, my hair dripping and my clothes soaked, I walked in a different person. I was refreshed and full of joy.

I know. I know this all might make me sound crazy. I get it, but the next time it rains stop and watch it for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, you will go out in the rain facing the sky with outstretched arms like a child, and take it in as the gift that it truly is.

There are so many truly evil things in this world. Don't take it out on the rain.  Ignore the urge to complain about it. Thank God for eyes to see it, ears to hear it and skin to feel its cooling drops. 

It's learning to be grateful for even the most mundane things, like rain, that makes room for real joy in your life.

Take time to be grateful for it. 

Better yet go dancing in it.  You'll thank me later.