Rain

This is what it looks like outside this morning. It's pouring liquid sunshine everywhere!

Rain always puts me in an odd mood. Truth be told.. my mood is still a little sore from the workout it got yesterday.

When I think of rain the first thing that comes to mind is 1998 in Daytona Beach, Florida. That was the year that so many acres burned. It was the grossest thing to live through. I really feel for those people out in California that endure it so often. I made a promise to myself in 1998. I promised myself that I would never again be ungrateful for rain. I will never forget the overpowering smell of smoke. I'll never forget the ash falling everywhere. The Silver Whining
has a post about that very thing. She's living through it right now. I bet right about now she'd be really grateful to see the rain that I'm seeing.

The second thing I think when I see it's raining is about how I can't wait to go outside and smell it. I LOVE the smell of rain. I really, really LOVE the smell immediately after the rain stops. I'm not talking about the tarry smell of blacktop at Disney after the rain (as it rains EVERY SINGLE TIME I go there). I'm talking about the grassy/treeish clean smell. It's a much better smell out someplace in the country. When I smell that smell I totally hear that scene in The Sound of Music where Maria is singing the theme song. I can picture her running around on that mountain top singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music". Granted, that scene has absolutely nothing to do with rain. There's just a freshness to it. It's carefree and clean. You really have to get in my head to understand the nuances of it. Just trust me... it's good.

Another thing I love, love about rain is all the running water. That's a really cool thing I appreciate now that I live in Virginia. In the flat places I've lived (Mississippi and Florida) water really only flows in rain gutters along the street and in rivers/streams. In the mountainous regions, I've discovered, when it rains water flows everywhere, in yards, across streets, etc. When it's raining hard the world is turned into a flowing river. I'm VERY partial to flowing water. So.... it's gorgeous to me.

I said rain puts me in an odd mood. It's true. I think the reason is this: Rain symbolizes renewal for me. Symbolically it washes away what was and starts everything fresh. In the fall, especially, when the sun comes back out and is accompanied by a fresh crisp breeze I am flooded with emotion. It's like in those moments God reminds me that He's still with me. He reminds me of what was and what is. He reminds me not to dwell in or on the past.

ALL of that happens in my head when it rains. I giggle to see it all written down. To my friend who has wondered about the odd expression I have sometimes: here's another example of what could be happening. It takes lots of energy to do all that in my head. :) I've got no energy left for my face!