HOPE MONTH: DAY 4: “In the midst of winter, I find within me the invisible summer…” ― Leo Tolstoy
The rain is a challenge for me. I love the sunshine. We need rain, but I don’t really like it, especially when it is cold. I would not do well in the Northwest, which is why I live in the Southwest.
So, during the rainy days, I write about how this feels, about my plans for the sunny days coming. I also go out at the first moment when drops stop falling and plant for my Spring garden. I have found that the flowers blooming right after, or even during, rain are precious to me.
Right now, there are daffodils and iris’ blooming, along with daisies and lobelia. Very pretty…not to mention the forest of calla lilies all over my garden.
I also plant herbs and greens and beets, which I grow year-round. They are particularly abundant because of the rain this season.
I may not like the rain, but I have found great ways to make use of it. I save and collect water for my gardens in the future months when it is not so abundant. My heart is always full of plans to get back to my hiking and travelling about when the sun is out again. I am not a big fan of trying to do these things when it is still wet out, so that is another reason I get the blues…no outdoor play.
In-between storms, I am outside, cleaning my gardens, playing in the mud. Life is about muddy days and sunny days. This I know and accept. I want to maximize my purposefulness on both. That is why I have learned to love mud and have always been fond of the sun. They both feed my spirit in different ways.
Today is a rainy day, and I wanted to write about how much I love the rain, even when I don’t like it. I will walk out today and find the rainbows and plant some seeds when the water stops coming down from the sky.
And I will give abundant thanks that my heart has always held out hope for the sunshine to return. Just like a good night’s sleep is always followed by another day for living. I really love that!
And what a tremendous gift it is to watch bare trees begin to sprout little leaf buds in the spring. And my sweet peas to begin to uncurl from the dirt. And beets to sprout, and kale, and dill and thyme. These are magical moments.
And I love to watch and wait for the magical moments when those things take place. Life is going on all around me and inside me. My hope is abundant and flows out to those who have lost their sense of hope.
When I lead a group, or speak in front of others, I always tell them that I have pockets full of hope for them. I always have pockets full of hope. That is the gift of recovery for me. I love this thing and what it has given me.
There is a sense of purpose, even when I don’t know I possess it, to do, even this writing, and other things. I know there is a purpose for my life, because I am no longer wasted by my own hand. I have never seen the Creator of all this amazing beauty waste a single thing, either. It all has purpose, so I know I do as well.
So, I carry a sunny day in my heart and have pockets full of hope. There is no amount of rainy days that can conquer those things!
Dolphin Hug 