It just keeps coming.
The rain.
Unceasing on the radar. They’re predicting two to four inches in the next 48 hours. Flood watches are pending as waterways, creeks, and rivers rise. Days and days of moisture descending from the sky as it opens long and wide above.
Real possibility for quiet time. Hours for pondering life.
…
I close my eyes…
The gentle, steady rhythm is peaceful, as the raindrops fall in alternating unison. An orchestra of water. Drip, then drop. Percussion mostly. Every now and then the winds enter in. A crescendo unfolds as the intensity builds and the rains turn from pitter-patter to pounding on the roof.
Suddenly, a lull in the music.
Only to begin again.
I look out my window and watch nature’s constancy amid the showers.
Dozens of green-blue swallows perform their arabesques against the gray of the morning sky. Swooping, diving, and twisting. Gracefully flitting, just inches above the surface of the water ~ a nursery for millions of insects. Nourishment to the glistening acrobat.
The mallards and wood ducks seem content. Webbed feet paddling gently below the surface. Oiled feathers glide effortlessly across the rippling water. Beaks dabbling. A lovely day for a swim.
Then I saw him.
He dived and I counted.
For almost a minute he was under water. Then popping up, again. Aqueous ringlets surrounded his entrance at the surface. I caught my breath as I ran to get my camera. Then out to the end of the pier to catch a closer glimpse of his beauty.
The loon.
Visiting for only a few months during the year, the loon’s presence is a rare and beautiful gift of spring. Their migratory patterns return them to northern forested lakes and rivers in the springtime. Breeding territory.
Floating alone and regal, he seems to rather enjoy the downpours. Diving into the watery world below, his already aquatic experience now enhanced as droplets splash nearby. Joyful in the moment.
Some of my favorite memories have been times spent in the rain.
…
It was a cold December evening so many years ago. I was in middle school and my sister was getting married. I remember the long green, satin dress I wore as a bridesmaid. The one with the long cape, with white fur trim around the hood. Perfect for a winter wedding.
And I remember the rain.
But more than that, I remember what my sister said when people kept telling her how sorry they were that it was raining on her wedding day. She responded in quite the contrary. “Rain is renewal ~ what a special blessing to have it rain for us today!” And after almost 40 faithful years of marriage, she still sees things that way.
She is a beautiful and wise woman.
Proverbs 16:15
When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.
…
A late-summer day in her sixth year, spent with my darling sweet Louise and it was pouring buckets. As the rain kept us indoors, we spent the better part of our playing games and sharing giggles. Old Maid and Go Fish. We baked cookies, and colored outlined images in Emma’s favorite coloring book. Page after page.
Then, the rain had slowed and we decided to try our hand at “rain painting”. 
Five beautiful petals. Emma drew a flower with a white crayon on her paper plate. After that, she squeezed droplets of food coloring, splattering into tiny puddles. Now it was time to let the rain finish! We placed the plate out on the deck as raindrops fell. Splashing rainbows on hide-and-seek pictures. Before long, the plate was covered with vibrant color. Her bare, little feet dancing in the puddles as she watched, in amazement. Her flowered artwork revealed!
My heart warms as I remember that time together.
…
Then there was that walk in the woods with my dearest friend of all time.
It was a warm and sticky August afternoon. The air hung thick with moisture as we paddled our canoe across the lake. After a picnic lunch, we decided to meander and explore the trails of the park. “Did you hear that?”. After about 20 minutes of of walking, a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Then suddenly, the damp and heavy air turned into a deluge.
Oh, how it poured!
We ran together, laughing all the way until we reached the shelter of an old oak. Catching our breath, we sighed as we found ourselves safe beneath the canopy of that great big tree. Soaked to the skin we huddled together, waiting for the summer storm to pass.
That day is forever etched in my mind and on my heart.
If only we could look back so fondly at all the “rainy” experiences in our lives.
Instead, we become easily frustrated with rain. Proverbial or otherwise.
When it rains outside, we can feel cooped up. Stranded. Stifled. The same goes for the rains of life. We can feel stuck in a perpetual downpour of challenge and strife. Caught cold, wet, and unprepared.
During the inclement seasons on our journey, it is our human tendency to place our focus on what we are missing out on because of the rain. What happiness lies beyond our reach.
What if, however, we chose to stay focused in the moment? If we remained still ~ breathed deeply through the strife, and immersed ourselves in the teachings of our trials.
We may discover that there can be beauty in our “rainy” circumstances.
And we might even find gratitude in the looking back on these growing seasons.
This is a lesson that has taken many years for me learn. Decades even. But there is truth in that old saying about “good things are worth waiting for”.
Did you know that rain drops can act as a magnifying glass?
It’s true. It’s a scientific fact having to do with the bending of light rays, lenses, and optical principles. But that is far too complicated. Let’s look at it from a simplified aspect.
…
When we look through a raindrop, it can magnify what is found beneath.
I think that’s why I so vividly remember those stories made in the rain. The same holds true for those times in life that are weighted with restraint. It’s seem like we’re being caught in torrential emotional downpour.
If we are willing to see beyond our pain, this rain can also enhance our experience. It can grow us into a deeper understanding. A stronger sense of trust in God’s divine plan.
We tend to think of the rainy seasons of our life, the challenges and trials, as only unfavorable. This is the worldly view. Most likely an attitude formed in our childhood, watching others approach such situations in a similar manner. None of us like being stuck in a place in which we feel out of control.
So…instead of using the opportunity for study and introspection ~ we resist, fighting to find the way out of the discomfort.
Again, a little science lesson reminds us ~ the quickest distance between two points is a straight line.
Thus, going through the pain, is always the best way.
Not resisting. Not circumventing.
But moving through the monsoons of life. The periods of time that seem to last forever as we wrestle with intensity and duration. How will I ever get through this? When will the rain ever end?
I have heard friends speak this way when discussing grief.
When they have lost a loved one.
The deep sense of despair and darkened anguish can last for months, or even years. We struggle to find our footing again in a world without them. Our loved one now absent. A world devoid of the physical experience of that someone in our lives. To hold. To touch. To call and to talk to. We mourn the loss, and wonder….will this pain ever stop?
The “rainfall” seems prolific and unending.
Yet in these places of unrest and disquiet; these places of pain that seem to flood our souls, there is refreshment…
Christ rushes in ~ a torrent of love to save us.
We can choose to be soaked in the abyss of struggle or saturated in the blessings of His Grace.
When we are overwhelmed in the emotion, He is there. That still small voice, calling to our hearts. He is the one who quieted the storm when his dear friends, the disciples, were sitting frightened in the boat.
It was He who calmed the seas and walked on the water to reveal His Power.
This same Power of His Spirit rains down on us in times of struggle. To cleanse us of the burdens of this world. To wash over us with His peace.
To refresh our weary souls.
That we might finally see the beauty that comes after the rain. The remembrance of where we began and how far we have come in Him.
Have you ever noticed how the colors of spring look more vibrant against the gray skies? More beautiful next to the subdued hues of life?
So too, it is with His Love.
You have heard it said in the Word.
His power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
As the rains of life fall upon us, we can fall into God’s great hands.
Concentric circles of Christ’s love and mercy surround us. Circumscribe those immense drops of heart-break. The experiences that leave us feeling unraveled and rocked. Unbalanced and unstable.
Circles surround. They wrap completely. They envelop.
His Grace tenderly wrapping around our hearts.
His goodness rippling into the lives and experiences of those who are watching our journey. Those people in our lives whom we may know. And those we may not. Watching as we submit to the strengthening or our faith.
So when we hold to Him ~ when we stay centered in His Grace, our hearts level out. Just like the surface of the water with time.
…
We can find joy through the rain.
And there is beauty in it all.
As we look back on the storms of our life, we see that He has always been there. For He is Immanuel ~ “He is with us”. To comfort. To provide ~ as we wait patiently, on Him.
…
Like the loon, who carries his young on his back, our Lord is there to shelter and protect us as we grow and mature in our relationship with Him. But never migratory, God is constant. He is always, always with us.
Our Jesus will never leave or forsake us.
At His death on the Cross He stated, “It is finished”. This a testament to the binding promise of that commitment. The battle has been won. Our sins are forgiven. Our Peace is alone in Him.
We need only surrender the rains.
For it is God’s blessing upon us ~ the rain.
Our souls are nourished through the storms. So that on the other side, we can know refreshment. We can know comfort, contentment, love, and safety as we experience the reward of walking with our Lord. Our Savior.
This refreshment is a new Life in Christ.
My Sweet Louise 
Please share your thoughts.