Rain

Good Morning, In the course of our lives we receive many opportunities to see and recognize life for what it is, see our faith for what it could be, and recognize the pure beauty and simplicity of life. I wanted to share just such a moment today. One day while shopping It was pouring down rain outside. The type of sudden summer rain that comes so fast it pours over the tops of the gutters. As I exited the store a crowd stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal- Mart. I stood amongst the crowd and waited with everyone else to figure out my next step.

I noticed an adorable little girl and her mother standing a few feet from me. The little girl must have been 6 years old, this beautiful dark haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. She kept tugging at her moms shirt tails and repeatedly asking Mom, let's run through the rain. No, honey. let's wait until it slows down a bit., mom replied. The little girl waited about another minute and repeated: mom, let's run through the rain.

To which the mother responded; We'll get soaked if we do, No, we won't, mom. That's not what you said this morning. This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet? Don't you remember? When you were talking to daddy about his cancer, you said, If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!

We all stood there stopped in a dead silence. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

I could see the mom had been shaken as she thought for a moment about what she would say. Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked, but they were followed by the rest of us who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

Life has so much to offer when we are simply aware and available to the moments it is trying to hand us. I could have cursed and been disgruntled about the rain but then i would have missed tis moment, this memory, this simple little lesson, which brings me to the thought for today: For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

Have a beautiful day.

Peace and Love, Jim