the best thing about rain....

We all woke up pretty slow this morning, the cold drizzle outside make it extremely dark, and pretty comfortable under the covers.  We took grumpy smurf to school, and the whole 4 minute drive he whined "It's raining, that means we can't play outside, It's raining, that means that I'm going to be sleepy all day." and on and on and on.  Shannie is surprisingly quiet (rare, I know)  We get home and are snuggling on the couch watching a little Jake and the Neverland Pirates (where WAS that show when I was a kid!? I'd like to discover gold dabloons... zablooms... gaboons...  yeah whatever those gold things are, just for counting to 5!)

Suddenly Shannie looks out the window and says... "you know the best thing about rain?"
Mom: What's that?
Shannie:  The rainbow that comes when it's over.
Mom: Oh Shannie, remember that for the rest of your life little one!

How true is that of the challenges of life?  It's so easy to get wrapped up in the fact that is RAINING!  Shannie wants to play outside, ride her bike (a new found skill)  jump rope, color with chalk... it is in fact 55 degrees outside!!  But it's raining, so we have to find things to do inside, namely snuggle and read books, watching movies, do crafts, the same kinds of things we've been doing for what seems like months due to the cold.  But does she whine about the rain?  No...  She's looking forward to the rainbow and the treasures beyond.

I think that's probably what Jesus meant when he called us to have faith like a child.  Perhaps it's a little of that instant trust and friendship that children seem to bestow on everyone; but I think it's more about the hope and joy.   To even know that there's a rainbow at the end of the storm means that we have hope that the storm will even end.  That life will look a little different on the other side, that there is HOPE for the next leg of our journey.  So thank you my little one... for the reminder to continue to search for the rainbow!