Rainbows and Childhood

It started to gently rain this evening. Mikayla and I sat outside on our bench, covered by the roof overhang, and we watched and smelled the warm rain. I love to see my child experience new things, like a summer rain, and listening to the distant rolling thunder and seeing the flashes of lightning. We saw a little family of quail running in the rain, maybe 6 babies, all in a line. Mikayla had snagged a piece of red licorice, and was getting it all over her cheeks, her hands, and me. But I didn't mind. Usually I would, but I felt like it was ok to let her be a sticky kid and me a sticky mom in that peaceful moment.

Then the sun came out, and it created the brightest and longest rainbow I have probably ever seen, with the mountains as the backdrop. Mikayla kept saying "WOW" as I pointed out all the beauties.





God is a wonderous creator. There is something so refreshing about nature and the beauties of the earth...it speaks to me somehow.

It occured to to me that to get a rainbow, you need both rain and sun. Sometimes I only want 'sunny' times and think I could do without the 'rainy' days, but maybe we really do only experience the greatest wonder and beauty with both.

As I write this, I can still hear the rain outside, and through the window I can see soft distant patches of lightning illuminating the sky. It's the beautiful kind, not the threatening, jagged kind. I love summer storms. Even if it did spoil our swimming plans for tonight.