Rain Brings Change

I think the rain in the Treasure Valley is a good thing. It signals change.

I sleep with the window open just enough to let fresh air into the room at night. The past couple of weeks it's been nice and cool, and I love being at that perfect temperature under the covers, while the air in the room is a bit cool and crisp.

This morning, I was happy to wake to the smell of rain. It brought a new scent to the room. Fresh. Renewing. Vitalizing. It's been a while since we've had rain like this in the valley. Much overdue and needed.

Once I got my morning coffee in hand, I stepped outside on my patio. The coffee cup was warm and comforting in my hands. There was no wind, so the gentle rain was coming straight down. I could hear it hitting the roof and the plants in my yard. It was calming.The atmosphere was heavy enough to  blanket and suppress the usual morning sounds from the neighborhood. No traffic noise, no barking dogs, no back-up beepers on cement trucks pouring concrete on a new build in the area...just the gentle sound of the morning rain.

My yard is starting to go to sleep for a few months. The trees are starting to drop leaves. The lawn isn't quite as green as it was a few weeks ago. The flowers are turning brown and wilting down. Winter is coming, and the rain showers will turn to snow in the coming weeks.

I stood there with my coffee, and gave myself a few minutes to reflect. Our lives are kind of like the seasons. We all go through "seasons" of some sort. I'm not talking about our infancy and childhood being "spring" and our adult years "summer" and our senior years being "winter".

I'm talking about our everyday lives. We go through our own "seasons" every day and every month. I don't know anyone that isn't, or hasn't been dealing with their own "storm season" or "winter". Whether it's a health issue, a family issue, a financial issue, a job issue, everyone is dealing with some sort of "season."  One of our neighbors is dealing with cancer. Another has an ailing and elderly mother. For my wife and me, it's been a rough year with regards to medical issues. Nothing life threatening, but it's not been fun. She's had to have two different surgeries this year, and between the two, our spring and summer months were basically stolen from us. We've had some unexpected car repair bills this year that tapped our savings. I could go on, but I won't. Compared to our neighbors, our troubles pale. My point is, we ALL deal with the seasons of life. Everyone is battling some kind of struggle or "storm season" in their life.

The rain this morning and all it brought made me think about that. The rain brings life. Sure, we're going into winter, but today's rain helps prepare the trees, the grass and the plants for the coming winter. It helps fill our ponds, lakes and rivers. It helps sustain life.

As I stood there this morning, coffee in hand and listening to the rain fall. I felt a sense of comfort come over me. Maybe a higher power was telling me that my own "seasons" are about to change, and the next season will be better and more abundant.

If you're weathering a bad "season" in your life, hang in there. If you grab a cup of coffee and stand outside in solitude for a few minutes today, try to enjoy the sounds and scents of the rain. I hope you get the same sense of renewal I got.

To quote a Luke Brian song...."Rain is a good thing"

~Rich