Rain, Rain Go Away...

Rain
by Robert Louis Stevenson

The rain is falling all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.

How appropriate for today. How appropriate for this entire week! It's like: "water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink!" It's from an old rime (yes, RIME) called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Very old...very long, but it is in there...in the second part, if you can make it through the first part...20 stanzas (there are actually seven parts)! Sailors had a lot to write about back then...they had nothing better to do, thus the ship's log!

Ugh...I ramble. Rain. It's good, right? It's needed, right? Of course it is. But, why so MUCH of it? Why here? Why not in drought-ridden Georgia? Why every day? Actually...not DAY. It has been sunny and warm and humid the last two days...then those big, black clouds roll in. Thunder. Lightening. (The way you love me it's frightening...sorry...musical moment) Then the down pour. Amazing.

I actually love a good thunderstorm. The thunder, the lightening, the rain...especially in the summer. The smell of a summer rain on the hot, dry pavement. The sound of the rain on the roof, on the window. The thick, beautiful green grass after it's all over. Okay...I am NOT diminishing the obvious ramifications of a weeks worth of inches of rain on our community...I just love a good thunderstorm, that's all.

Every year at this time, I am getting ready to go back to teach. Not this year. I am deciding what devotional to use for my first hour. Not this year. I remember how quickly the first month of school passes, and how can I share with them the idea that the seasons are like our lives? Not this year...well, at least not with my students. I can share that with YOU! Aren't you excited??? Well, pretend you are, anyway. Just like they did. :~)

I won't go into the WHOLE schpeil (like that word???), just the part about summer. The rain. You have it, don't you! You already know what I'm going to say, but I will say it anyway. In every one's life, a little rain must fall. Unfortunately, some get the downpour, and some get the sprinkles. Personally, I do not mind a downpour once in a while. It keeps me humble. Steeped in humility. It helps me focus on the sky, constantly watching to see if the clouds are moving, closing my eyes with my face lifted up, to feel if the wind has shifted ("wind's from the east, mist comin' in, like somethin' is brewin' and 'bout to begin"). And then as sure as Bob's your Uncle...it's over.

Then I wonder, how did I ever make it through that storm? I can reminisce what my life was like before the storm and how it changed after. I can look back and see God's hand in it all. Where He carried me. Where I fought Him. Where I gave it all to Him. Those places are like this: after the srorm is over, we go outside and assess the damage. Every place where a pool of water has settled is an indentation, an indication, of my settling. Where I stopped to either pray or fight. Some of the pools are bigger than others, but they are there. I am safely on the other side of that storm. The pools of water will dry up, or be soaked into the ground, but I'll remember where they were. And, hopefully, know to avoid those divots during the next storm.

Because there will be another storm. With every one, I learn something different. I remember to close the windows. In my house AND in my car! I learn to check to make sure the sump pump is working. I bring in the umbrella from the patio so it doesn't blow away into the neighbor's yard, practically impaling their dog! And I still go out onto the front porch to watch the clouds come in and feel the wind shift. I remember that God has my heart in His hand and He has it all under control. And I think of Robert Louis Stevenson, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and, of course, Mary Poppins!

Here's to drier days ahead!