Rain

Last night we had a thunderstorm.  It smelled so good outside just before the storm hit and even better while it was raining.  You could smell the earth, the grass, lilacs, and dust.  My Grandma Hadaway always said rain was good for the plants. Much better than water from a bucket or the hose. If there was thunder and lightning ~ that was even better.  I remember watching my Grandpa doing the rain dance, and amazed that within a few minutes, it started to rain! He was a miracle worker!

We used to lay in the bed on her enclosed porch and watch rain storms coming.  When I smelled the rain last night, my mind went back to those times. I always wanted a sleeping porch and mostly for that reason. In the summer it was always cooler out there, but during a light rain, it was just a perfect sleeping environment.

This morning I went outside and marveled at how much the plants had grown overnight.  My lettuce and cilantro are at least an inch taller.  I water them every day, but the rain seems to make them happier and want to stand taller.  It's as if they are saying "Hello sun! We got a nourishing drink of water last night, it's your turn to feed us!"

Rain also brings out the child in us. OK - light rainstorms do.  Pounding rain, with lightning and having to run to the car or drive in it, makes me nervous.  Sitting on the porch or close to a window when it is lightning makes me very anxious.  I had a favorite teacher die because he was struck by lightning during a storm and since that time, I have had a new respect for lightning.  But a warm rain shower, minus the thunder and lightning, is great for puddle jumping and dancing in the rain. 

Avery and I will do that this summer.  And we will sit in a screened "room" in the back yard and talk about how the rain is helping the flowers and plants grow. We will read books together, sing songs, tell stories, look at photo albums, take deep breathes and smell the earth during a magical rain.  And if God is really being helpful, we will take a nap on my version of a sleeping porch.