Rainy days ...

Marlene Terry

Spent some time a few days ago trying to find where the sound was coming from.

Fresh from the days of working almost every waking moment in a business office atmosphere, I'd forgotten.

"Pit ... pit ... pit," it began slowly but surely, and then picked up in speed and intensity.

It was then I noticed. The cloud I'd watched with interest earlier that morning was overhead and letting go of a downpour.

"What? I didn't recognize the sound of rain? How pathetic. And for the first time in a long time I left my chores, sat down on the floor in front of a wide-open patio door, and listened and remembered.

Used to love the rain. Kids have a way of doing that. Really doesn't matter what the weather is like, they just adapt ... and happily.

Warm and sunny? Run around outside screaming, laughing and eating as much ice cream as possible.

Snow? Perfect time to build a snowman ... or even better, a snow fort and fill it with snowballs and then wait for unsuspecting friends to walk by on their way home from school.

Wind? Fly kites of course ... the higher the better. But don't forget to run for cover if yours crashes on a neighbor's house.

photo: faithfilledmom.com

Rain though, was always my favorite. I'd walk especially slow through rainstorms because I loved listening to the raindrops patter against the plastic of my umbrella. It was a rhythm and I created many a wondrous song singing along to it. 

I also hoped that by the time I reached the ditch that ran in front of our house, it'd be full. Because that meant wading, jumping and splashing ... sometimes with my boots on but more frequently without.

Rainy nights always meant everyone at home would sleep well. And for me and my little sis, it was a time to dream of journeying to faraway places. It was on those nights that we made plans to build a raft, and when the ditch was swollen with rainwater, sail away in it on an adventure.

... Never happened of course. But oh how the sweetness of those plans remains and returns with the beckoning sound of rain.

Thanks Mother Nature for the rain you sent just for me.
... Refreshing? ... That's an understatement!

♦ Hope you'll let me share your stories and photos here at my new residence "In a Nutshell." Email me at nutshellstories@gmail.com.