Slosh. Squish. Splash.
Drip, drip, drip.
That’s the soundtrack of daily life around here this winter. So much rain, so little sun.
I confess that I have not taken a lot of photos lately, because every day has looked the same.
Wet. Gray. Dark.
We have had two days of sunshine—blessed sunshine—but it will take a while to dry out.
The sod in our front yard is, well, sodden and squishy. The woodsy back yard has lots of wood on the ground—two dead trees and limbs strewn everywhere. Inside, the freshly-painted bathroom ceiling has puckered from a roof leak.
And a second leak surprised me last week: a favorite shoe developed a tiny pinhole that made me regret splashing through a puddle.
None of these issues is life-threatening, obviously. Certainly nothing like the frequent flooding in other parts of the country or the terrible tornado damage in Nashville just last week. My heart goes out to those who are dealing with catastrophic damage and heart-rending losses.
But on the ordinary days when the sky turns my mood gray or when struggling with an umbrella leaves me wetter than no umbrella at all, I sometimes have to look for beauty. Hard.
In the looking, I have discovered a couple of things.
One, overcast days often result in more dramatic photos. Like this.
Another thing I’ve discovered is that gray days can also make colors more vivid. Like this.
And of course, the rain this winter will yield beauty this spring and summer.
In the hard times of my life, when I look for beauty, when I look for the good, I find an abundance of good things—of gifts from God that I’m grateful for.
Good things that show up and stand out against the gray backdrop.
Doing that—looking and thanking—has brought Light to many a dark day for me. I hope that it does for you as well.
If rainy days are hard for you, do you still see beauty? In hard times of life, do you look for beauty and for the good things in your life? Let me know in the comments.
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