The Rains Came

The rains came the night before last. We were sleeping deeply until the sound of millions of raindrops interrupted our sleep. The sliding door had been open to allow the warm summer night’s fresh air to scent our dreams. After the fresh air lulled us to sleep, the rains came.

Like the returning footsteps of a loved one, the sound of rain was a welcome comfort. I didn’t want to go back to sleep, I wanted to enjoy the sound, the smell and the moistness that gently tiptoed through the slightly bent screen door into our bedroom.

The sound of each drop could be heard in syncopation, they were large and lush, but fell in a casual flurry, as if they had waited too long to return. I could picture the brown, crinkling grass lapping up the moisture and regaining color as I listened. I knew my flailing flowers and vegetables would respond well, too, and mentally crossed off watering off my list of things to do.

The rain was so heavy for a few minutes, that I experienced that panicked feeling when you are trying to remember what valuable things were left outside and determine if they are valuable enough to retrieve. I chose to enjoy the presence of the rain snuggling under the covers, instead of being soaked in it while retrieving something that my kids shouldn’t have left outside anyway.

Since the rains have come, I am wearing my jeans with the bottoms folded up in a huge cuff, to keep the moisture from creeping up the length of the legs. We now grab our moisture-wicking jackets as we pass through the front doors.

I have been reminded the hue of the world is different in the rains. The rain brilliances the color of the trees and flowers and makes them glisten with reflective crystals. When the sun is anxiously radiating behind loosely fluffed clouds, the glow can create the perfect back lighting, the perfect glow, the perfect brightness to visualize the presence of the rain.

I am thankful for these reactions. I just realized I had befriended the rain, that I had missed its presence in my world, that I have learned to let the rain brighten my life. I am thankful because when the rains come,
they do stay
and stay
and stay
and stay.
Like any friend, the rain can wear out its welcome.

But, for now, I am enjoying the newness of my world,

because,

the other night,

the rains came.