It was pouring rain when I left work yesterday.
I was soaked because I didn’t check the weather before going into work. Sans umbrella, I ran to my car with my head hunched down trying to stay as dry as I could. Later, I grabbed an umbrella as I walked into the twins school trying to remind myself that the discomfort of being wet was only temporary – we were just headed home soon anyway.
It had been a long day, and I was tired.
It had also been a long day for them, but they seemed as cheerful as they had been that morning. “Mom, before you ask, I had a GREAT day!” one twin shouted as the other hugged me.
“We get to use an umbrella today? Cool! Wow look at that rain! Can we run though it?”
I led them out the door and carefully around puddles all the way to the car, the three of us huddled under the umbrella. As we navigated the sidewalk and the road, I was considering my options home since all the highways were red on the map. I was a little grumbly as I got into the drivers seat and accidentally let my umbrella flood my seat with water.
“Mom… MOM!” one twin shouted desperate to get my attention as I sat right down in the water. “What?” I said begrudgingly turning around to see what he wanted.
“Don’t you think it’s wonderful that God let us play on the playground and be outside today before God brought the rain?”
Leave it to a six year old to remind mom of perspective.
“Yes! That was great!”
“And now God brought the rain to feed the flowers. It was such a great day!”
The rest of the ride home, I basked in the joyful conversation of two six year olds who could so clearly see what sometimes I can not.
That the world is transparent, as Thomas Merton wrote, and God is there shining through all the time.
If we only pause to see it.
