into every life a little rain must fall

I have used this phrase many times over the years when people have commented or even dare I say, complained about the rain. I wasn't sure where it came from and some have thought that I was the originator. Unfortunately, I am not and the line actually comes from a song that the great Ella Fitzgerald and others sang. So, it's not a new phrase, but it lacks nothing because it still drips with meaning.

I usually use the phrase to respond to a negative comment. Rain is often seen by those in the comfortable west as a hindrance to every day pleasures. There are those who would die for a drop of rain, in fact they are dying because of the absence of rain. That's not why I decided to write this post, though.

Rain has wonderful qualities. It hides tears, it washes away sadness, at least on the outside. It waters the ground making it fertile. It cleanses. Too many people I speak with complain about the rain because of the temporary difficulty that it brings. The shallowness of such an approach denies the beauty of the rain and the blessings it brings.

Yes, into every life a little rain must fall, but it doesn't have to be an unwelcome thing, does it? When we were children we played in the rain much to the chagrin of our mothers. They thought we would catch a cold (how do you catch a cold anyway) and it would be "the death of us". Do you remember jumping in puddles, or riding your bike in the rain or watching the drops slowly fall from the leaves of a tree after the rain had stopped. Did you ever walk ahead of someone and grab a branch just as they walked under the tree, only to soak them?

Where is the joy of the rain? The simple effervescence of childhood bubbling over in the explosion of happiness at the sound of squeaking wellies and rainwater. Or the single drop of water causing ripples to flow seamlessly across a pond. Never returning but accomplishing their sole task of rolling across the pond. Much like the one in the photo below, thanks to Anders Gustafsson (I wonder if he is related to the Monster?)

So the next time it rains and it will, unless you live in a desert (and it rains there too sometimes), enjoy it. Embrace the pleasure of water streaming endlessly from the sky and let the drops wash away the grime of your day. Trust it to rejuvenate your spirit and remember the former times when you jumped and splashed and squealed with delight and just got soaked and loved it.

It must fall and you can choose what to do with it when it hits you...............and smile