Rain

               `I love rain. People say that love is a strong word and is unsuited to objects like rain, but I REALLY LOVE rain. As a kid I remember gathering outside with the neighbors and doing rain dances on the verge of an approaching storm. I still go outside when it rains –perhaps this is a sign that I don’t have sense enough to come out of the rain-. There is something soul satisfying about the rumbling thunder which words are not apt to describe. I figured since I was off of work due to rain, and it had been kind enough to remain roaring throughout the night, the day would be well spent writing out my appreciation to the floodgates of the heavens.

               I live in a place where rain is rare. We measure rain in 100ths of an inch. –I’m not kidding-. The annual precipitation average is around 20 inches. As rare as the rain is, being rare does not automatically make a thing valuable.

A drought  map from this year. Yeah, I live in that dark red  circle out west

Unfortunately, rain is a requirement for life. Farming is a prominent business around here, and the weather must cooperate in order for success. Rain means that the economy will pick up. It means that friends will be able to pay their mortgage. That sense of relief and joy is infectious, and even if you do not benefit directly, that joy wiggles its way into your soul. A smile is, after all, contagious.

               One can outline a whole host of spiritual analogies using water. Water is cleansing, water is a necessity, and Christ even described himself as ‘living water’. Instead of talking about any one of these, I would just like to note how much we take things for granted.

               We take water for granted… even out here. One thing that struck me odd while I was at school in Missouri was how depressed people got when it rained. The mood was exactly opposite of what I was used to. A few desert dwellers also would go for walks in the rain, but hardly anyone realized just what a gift it was. Not only were people not appreciative of this gift, but they despised it. We do this not only with rain, but many other blessings in life. Just think: the very things that irritate you may be the greatest blessings you have!

               I haven’t decided yet if that is a wonderfully joyous thought or an incredibly depressing one. Either way, it is a cool thought.