With another week passing at mach speed again, is it any wonder that I have no trouble falling asleep at the end of the day? I am not complaining, for it is the chaos I always dreamed of having. My concern is that I will miss the forest for the trees. Thankfully there are tools such as "Old Friend From Far Away" (OFfFA) that causes me to pause and really ponder on the ordinary. Here is one of the entries . . .

"Rain. In movies it accompanies sadness and betrayal. It always seems to fall in scenes taking place in cemeteries. In dark lonely mansions. When the protagonist is at a cross-roads trying to decide what to dao, they take a walk or a drive in the rain. When the lover breaks up with their significant other, the rain helps shoulder the pain. Angrily it pelt on rooftops and cars unlike the mysterious, gentle snow. Responsible for floods, puddles and mud, the rain can come in spring showers or menacing winter tempests. It calls for the colorful golashes with matching slickers and umbrellas.

When it poured for 40 days and 40 nights, a righteous man named Noah and his family took refuge in a boat he was instructed to build by God. Aboard with him was two of every kind of animal and the discipline of God was spared on this family. A message of hope in rain?

Personally, I am not a fan of constant rain. It can soak you through and leave you feeling soggy. Chilled. Rain has two natures. Unleashed, it floods and erodes. If allowed to leak out of pipes, it can nourish mold and ruin the house value. Rain is also nuturing and causes growth. We can't live without water. How wonderful that God would provide it in due season.

And so, as the mantra goes, into every life a little rain must fall. When the sun returns (and it will,) it is only with both of these elements that one may witness a rainbow."

I am reminded that my busy-ness can be like the rain. Always falling to the point where I can drown out the sound and go about my schedule. But I would miss the rainbow. The arch stretched across the sky as if God was saying "I got all this covered with my promises." As winter approaches and the days shorten, I plan to bring an umbrella in the car . . . just in case. When you are looking for the rainbow, somehow the rain isn't so threatening. In fact, crazy as it sounds, with God . . . even the most challenging lessons of growth can be moments to cherish.