"Mmmm... The Rain"

I love the rain. Not particularly when it is 20 degrees outside, but when it is a nice spring or summer rain and it is 60+ degrees while it is raining... Mmmmm... Yeah... Some of my favorite times. I'm sure it's because I have so many good memories from playing in the rain when I was younger. I honestly didn't retain a lot of my childhood memories for one reason or another, but most of the ones I did manage to keep hold of are of times in the rain. In Wichita, we lived on Custer Street, which happened to be a dead-end street, and when it rained, it ALWAYS flooded. No matter how much or how little it rained, it flooded. And we loved it. In fact, I think there were times when all of the kids from our entire block would go play in the floodwater. Wild and free. In Arma, us silly girls would wash our hair in the rain(that would be thanks to those ridiculous Herbal Essence's commercials). We would take pitchers with us and fill them up with the rainwater rushing off the roof of the house and poor the, oftentimes frigid, water on our heads to rinse the shampoo out... Wow, that is silly! Come on, we were a bunch of girls, what do you expect? :) I remember countless times of running around and jumping in ginormous puddles and just feeling carefree. Though I also remember that there were those times, when I would just sit and let the rain run over me, and I would sit unmoving while I prayed and let my tears mingle with the raindrops on my face. There were times when the rain was my soothing balm. There were times when I felt God wept with me, and there were times I could swear I felt a warm breath on my cheek. Do you think God does that- weeps with us? Even though He knows everything will be ok? Do you think He weeps when our hearts are in turmoil and we ache so much it feels like our hearts may actually break? Do you think He weeps with us when, after a long run of trying to get out of reach of His hand (which isn't possible, by the way), we finally cease striving and surrender to His embrace?

Ah, Father... Thank You for the rain today. Thank You that there are seasons, and that spring is on its way. It has been a very long winter, both physically and emotionally, and I feel exhausted and numb. I am so ready for warmth and sunshine. I thank You that with the spring comes a renewal of life. You ARE faithful, and I am so thankful for that.