By Rosie Preston
When I wake on a dark and cloudy morning, I’ll know it is raining outside. I feel peace and love as the rainwater wets the ground for all living things to have life. But then there is another feeling I have of: “Oh, no, another day when I can’t get such and such accomplished!” Some days, if I lie in bed too long, I tell myself that I can rest longer. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn’t.
This past Monday morning, I was standing on my side kitchen porch drinking a cup of coffee as I admired our newly manicured yard. I suddenly heard the gentle hissing flow of slow rain. I looked all around me but could not see any sign of rain. I heard only the soft sound of gentle drops consistently falling.
Then, just as quickly, the rain was there in front of me – the mist of a beautiful shower, much unlike the electrical storms we experienced just a day before. The steadiness of the rain reminded me of how the earth and clouds were bringing new growth for our gardens and food sources. Prayers are always important when referring to dry conditions with no rain, or just the opposite for the rain to please stop. I hope to remember that lovely morning forever.
Many years ago, when my sister Luann and I were walking on Broad Street in downtown Gadsden, it started to rain. There were no malls or shopping centers back then, and we were just budding as we were growing into the teenage years. It was a misty rain, not enough to make us run for cover but one where we put our face up to the heavens and let it fall on us. We had so much fun that day! There was just enough glow from the still-shining sun to radiate us with a tingling feeling. I took her hand, and we acted like silly girls as we laughed and skipped, looking in storefront windows along the way.
Luann now lives in Anchorage, Alaska, which has had more rain than in the past years because of cli-mate change. She said it made her think of her years spent living in Alabama until she moved to Alaska in 1986. I cried for months after she and her family left us that sunny day, traveling thousands of miles away.
The following sentences were copied from Facebook. I know they are true, and you may agree.
* Grapes must be crushed to make wine.
* Diamonds form under pressure.
* Olives are pressed to release oil.
* Seeds grow in darkness.
* Whenever you feel crushed, under pressure, pressed, or in darkness, you are in a powerful place of transformation!
You will hear in many conversations that COVID-19 took so many lives. We now hear that a new strain of the virus is approaching with the same vigor, and it could be just as bad or worse than the original. To date, there is no vaccination for children for these two viruses. Because of this fact, we find ourselves fearing for our loved ones. If only we could make it go away!
Would you please think about this as you read the quote above? We always have something to fear, whether it be death due to illness, accidents, cancer or heart attacks. But we must choose to believe the many times when we think there has been a miracle. Perhaps prayers were said, and someone was saved for reasons unknown to us. In reality, a person may be spared and given more time. Yet, the body eventually will leave this earth.
I’d like to share a comparison my cousin Gary made in a letter he wrote to me after his nephew left his beloved family after a car accident at the age of 19. Gary envisioned his nephew as one of the stars at night. He said his loved one seemed to always reach for the stars during his young life. Gary thinks of him being like a star as it dips and dives and flashes with the brightest light imaginable. It happened so many years ago, and time has passed quickly. We are blessed to say we are now living in our golden years.
Have you ever wondered if your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents worried about us when we were young? Just knowing I got to meet both sides of my grandparents and one set of great-grandparents (on my mother’s side of the family), I can see the full circle of life as it reminds me of the soft and gentle falling showers of the rain while the stars move above and beyond us.
Keep smiling, Rosie
Please send me a poem or short story at rosie.preston@yahoo.com. I would love to publish it!