Waiting For Rain
It’s raining again. It was near 90 degrees (32 C) today – not oppressively hot, but warm enough in the shade. I’m sitting on my porch watching my neighbor gardening and admiring her abundant rows of salmon-colored roses. It’s just enough rain to speckle the sidewalks and create a refreshing breeze. The boats are leaving fluffy white wakes behind them as they pass on their way back to their docks and dandelion fuzz floats airily by complementing the chatter of the birds in the trees.
Unexpected
The rain is unexpected – the forecast was all sunshine and warmth. Despite this, it is a welcome change, and I’m glad about it. Rain is always a blessing; certainly, it takes the chore out of watering the flowers. And, when the sky grows dark and storm clouds appear, I love the sound of torrential rain and crashing thunder, the awesome power of lightning lighting up the darkness. Also unexpected is my company. My baby girl, who is not so baby anymore, sits beside me sometimes diligently, sometimes distractedly writing her final research paper of the school year. I love the company, even though she is mostly silent. She writes, and I suggest simultaneously on google docs, and I am enjoying our time together. It won’t be long before she, like her brother and sister before her, graduate and move on to college and a career, and I will miss our quiet sessions on the porch.
Parents And Children
The weather alert advisory sounds as the wind picks up, bringing with it the smell of firewood burning and memories of camping and Ireland – peace and my mom. It’s weird that the smell reminds me of Ireland since no house I’d ever been in burned wood – it was always peat or coal. Nonetheless, there is something in the delectable odor that floods my heart with joy and longing. The rain reminds me of parenting. There are peaceful times, tremendous storms, refreshing breezes, and damaging winds. Still, the rain nourishes the ground, makes hidden things grow, cleanses the air, feeds root systems, and washes the world. Even when bitterly cold, I love the rain. On super hot days, I love the rain. Whether lashing against the window or barely audibly tapping the ground, the gentle rhythm soothes my soul – almost like tears.
Rain – A Blessing From God
We read in Matthew 5:45 how God sends his rain on “the just and the unjust,” and in other areas of the bible, how He both blessed people with rain or withheld blessings with drought.  Hosea 6:3 compares God’s coming to the arrival of refreshing spring rains. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. In Jeremiah 14:22 the blessing of rain is used to illustrate God’s mighty power. Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
For right now, I’m just glad I get to sit in the sheltered comfort of my porch chair and enjoy it.