The Beauty Of Rain
The nourishment of rain brings new life - even to the heart. ~Viola Jaynes
As my windows are covered with droplets of rain, I look out to watch the drizzle gently fall. I open my door to listen to its beautiful sound. I sit on my step holding out my hands as I simply enjoy one of the most beautiful things that God has created. Rain!
When I was a child growing up in the orphanage, we would often go on walks. My most memorable walks were those on rainy days. There was something happy and frolicsome about jumping in the puddles. We would lift our heads to the sky and let the rain fall on our faces with our mouths open wide, as if to tell the heavens to pour out its sweetest drink it had to offer. I loved watching the bubbles rise in the puddles as each droplet made its own statement. I loved seeing the leaves wet and rich in color, as the rain rolled off, only to await its next drop.
I remember as the rain washed through my hair, the touch of it felt soft and kind. Strangely though, with all of its beauty, I would also feel sadness come over me. Once at home, I would feel the need to tug myself away - alone, to listen, as the rain still poured outside. I found myself longing for something and I wondered about the children who had mothers and fathers at home.
Rain is meaningful to me to this day. It seems to bring out a sense of melancholy, a time of reflection, and always a time to think about God.
Its tiny droplets remind me of tears that are shed in secret and of the many who feel they have noone with whom to share their sorrow. It reminds me that there are greater pains and greater sorrows in the world than my own. It reminds me that it falls on the just and the unjust alike, and thus, it teaches kindness and discernment. For it is a wise heart that realizes the vastness of the world out there, is also the vastness of the world in here.
When our lives feel thirsty and dry, it is the rain that comes to quench that thirst. At times it is clothed in pain and sorrow, and its mantle feels heavy on our shoulders. Still, the fresh water that is poured between each crack, and between each rocky place, flows deep into the rich, warm soil of our hearts. It then brings healing to our brokenness as our earth mends itself with the gift it has been given.
It is after such a rainy season that we take notice that something new and beautiful has been created - something we have never seen or noticed before. It is a gift that is held close to the heart and cherished forever.
Viola Jaynes
