Rain
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When you first think of rain, you think about getting wet, about bad
weather. You think about an obstacle. But let's challenge that thought.
Rain is really a wonderful thing. Rain brings a vibrant "splash" to
everything around you. It mixes it up. It refreshes.
This month I asked my friends at Opportunity Village to give reasons why rain is important. A good friend told me, "I think that rain helps the grass to turn green and rain is good for the garden and field for the farmers to plant their corn and beans. Rain is good for plants, trees, and flowers and everything to grow." In his poem "Sunday Morning" the poet Wallace Stevens describes rain as something even more: "What is divinity if it can come only in silent shadows and in dreams? Divinity...passions of rain...falling snow..." Rain can be a problem, but that's the point. Rain stops you. It makes you wait. It makes you think about how long will it be before it stops raining. Because after the rain, the sun comes out. Rain makes you stop and think and really appreciate the good. Without rain, we wouldn't fully appreciate the goodness of the sun. I grew up in the Midwest USA. Rain, snow, cold, heat, sun are all part of weather and each of them makes me appreciate the others. The change of seasons is what I've come to expect. When I tell people I spent a year in Arizona for graduate school, they are quick to emphasize the wonderful weather. The perpetual sun was great for a while, but I missed the rain. Next time it rains, relax, don't rush, listen to the drops of water come down. It is time to think, time to enjoy. Be thankful for the rain, how it renews growth around us, and how it helps to slow us down to appreciate that growth. |
Jim Holcombe
Marion, IA