Running in the Rain
She had been shopping with her Mother in the Mall. She must have been 6
years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence.
It was pouring outside. It always rains like that in Redding,
The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of
rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it had no time to flow
down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to capacity
and some were blocked so that huge puddles laced around parked cars.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the
J. C. Penny's. We waited, some patiently, others irritated ...
because
nature
messed up their hurried day.
I am always mesmerized by rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight of
the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of
running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome
reprieve from the worries of my day.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all
caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.
"What?" Her Mother asked.
"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit." The Mom
replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated "Mom, Let's run
through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," her Mother said. "No, we
won't, Mom. That's
not
what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her
Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not
get
wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer,
you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through
anything!"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything
but the rain.
We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Her Mother paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly.
Some might even ignore what was said.
But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time
when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God
let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Then off they ran.
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars
and yes through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their
heads just in Case. They got soaked.
But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children
all the way to their cars.
I want to believe that some where down the road in life, that Mother will
find
herself reflecting back on moments they spent together, captured like
pictures in the scrapbook of her cherished memories.
Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her
Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh again.
Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the world they
love each other.
But only they ... will share that precious moment, when they ran through
the rain believing that God would get them through.
And Yes, I did.... I ran. I got soaked. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can
take away your money,
they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your
precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the
opportunities...To make memories every day!
* I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet
when
our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. *
I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME AND RUN THROUGH THE RAIN
