create (a life): rainy days

Not too long ago, I wasn't sure if we would ever hear the sweet sound of rain again. It had been weeks, and we had let our grass die in efforts to keep our vegetable garden alive. I also had to stop watering my flowers too, trusting them to know what they needed to do. They seemed to hunker down on their haunches and wait, casting off all unnecessary blooms in the meantime. In fact, the whole world seemed to catch its breath during those hot, steamy days and wait- myself included. It was a long wait, even a little scary at times. Surely it had to rain again someday, right? Weeks went by and we caught ourselves holding our breath as storm front after storm front passed overhead without ever more than a few drops of rain. I found myself wondering, how long can you live in a world without rain?

Luckily we never had to find out as a storm front settled in and stayed awhile- bringing life-giving rain with it. And now, a few weeks of steady rain later, it's easy to start to take it for granted again. As we begin to enjoy the familiar pulse of summer once again, I'm trying not to become complacent. To continue to appreciate the wonder of a storm.

For storms cannot be enticed with candy or coaxed with money. They're created by forces beyond our control, coming about on their own volition. And while we can do many things in this wonderful world...

...only Mother Nature can shower us with the gift of rain. And what a sweet gift it is!