Here Comes the Rain....

Dearest Lydia,

I have been wanting to write this post since our Florida trip but never quite found just the right words that I wanted to say (or the time to quietly sit at the computer and contemplate them either!). Unexpected events yesterday made it seem necessary. We had an unexpected visitor who drug up some old hurts that had seemingly healed. Turns out those scars we thought we were carrying turned out to simply be shallowly scabbed over wounds. And all this made me think that somehow life always throws you a curve ball when you feel that you are least prepared to handle it or when you have more than enough worries settled within your heart already.

The similarity to our weather lately is rather uncanny. While parts of our country are battling horrific droughts, others are dealing with immense amounts of rain, including us (although this month has been better!). There has been wide spread flooding and many people have lost everything they have, all while people in drought stricken areas would almost kill to have a little of that extra moisture. I feel deeply within my heart that this is what is happening in our lives as well.

All it takes is a quick look around to find plenty of people whose lives are plagued by a drought of the spirit, while we, as a family, have had more than our share of rain during the last year.

Even as I watch the storm clouds gather on the horizon, knowing that once again it's going to rain, I feel as if WE are the lucky ones. 

Rain makes things grow while drought causes things to wither and die. And I have to say that all this extra rain has allowed me to flourish. I think it has caused the entire family to bloom, as beautifully as any flower. 

There are times when I wish desperately that I could see the rain coming as easily as I could standing on the beach, watching the ocean become windswept as waves of water came washing over its surface.

But life doesn't give us those guarantees. The rain usually takes us by complete surprise, even when all the signs are there that it's coming. It's easy to miss the rising wind, the gathering clouds, and even the thunder and lightning, all beautiful in their own way. However, a storm is nothing without the cleansing kiss of the rain, which makes everything green and bright and fresh.

I find, looking back on the last year, that even though there have been times where I have pleaded with God to show me just a glimpse of sunshine, I am grateful for all the rain He has seen fit to shower upon us. That rain has cleansed us, made us strong, and allowed us to appreciate the sun just a little bit more. Without those storms, we wouldn't be the family that we are today....

Maybe we wouldn't appreciate the greatest blessing He has given us in you. 

So when I see those black clouds rolling in, I'm going to lift my face to heaven and tell God, "Bring on the rain." Because I know that when it passes, I will be a better person; stronger, more humble, more appreciative, and more at peace.

I love you, Lydia Anne, and I can already see blue skies ahead.....

 

XOXOXO,

Mommy