Rain

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds the sun is shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, An April Day

Mr. Longfellow, you don't understand. It is a happy day when it is raining... again. Rain doesn't have to be endured; it can be celebrated. The first rainy day of the school year we call a holiday and enjoy the bliss of cool wetness. It is one of my favorite holidays (especially since no one expects a card from me (-:)

Now, want to talk about the heat? That we endure. The mercury rises and we start looking for rocks under which we can hide. I don't like to be hot, I don't like air conditioning. I had one child in the blazing heat of August, and one in the enduring heat of September. Just be glad that you weren't here.

But with rain? We open the windows, put on the coffee and cocoa, read an extra chapter of the latest book, and (on the best kind of rainy days) take a walk. As long as there is a cozy place where we can warm up, a little rain makes for refreshment of the best kind, and pouring rain makes a walk an adventure.

It is mid-May and we are still happy with every day of rain. This is a rare year; we know that the h-e-a-t is coming, so today we celebrate.