When It Rains, It Pours

They say that, “When it rains, it pours,” and ain’t that the truth?

I feel like I’ve had the weight of the world on my shoulders this week. In the last seven days I have had to deal with a malfunctioning pool filter, a sump pump in need of a battery back-up system, and a car that had run bone dry on oil and required a new air filter and break light as well. Plus I had a meeting with our property manager and was surprised by some unwelcome expenses, I opened discussions with our realty group in Virginia to settle move-in details, I called utility companies to cancel old accounts and other companies to activate new accounts, I arranged the pick-up of our personal property with our moving company, I heard some hurtful news from a friend, I labored over our strained family budget looking for enough room for all our upcoming expenses, I made some important financial changes through our credit union account, and that’s all in addition to meeting the daily needs of three children, two dogs, two fish, and a house. And then to top it all off, I am currently fighting off an extremely painful case of strep throat, possible tonsil infection, and blocked left ear drum.

One or two of these things together would be an annoying drizzle. A handful of them combined could be considered a persistent rain. When all of them come falling from the sky at once, it is nothing shy of a torrential downpour. Oh, what I would give for some simple scattered showers! But when the clouds over my head rain, they pour.

The weather around here must be taking cues from my life. A storm front has been stalled over us for the past several days and we’ve had continuous rain, of various intensities, for days and days. On Sunday afternoon, even though the kids were still dressed in their fancy church clothes, we went outside to play in the rain for a while. And surprisingly enough, it was exactly what I needed.

The smiles on my happy children’s faces have an amazing capacity for invoking contentment. I stood under the front porch awning with Johnny on my left hip and my camera in my right hand, snapping some photos of Josie and Jamie as they enjoyed the simple pleasures of mother nature’s playground, and in that short span of time I regained my sanity. My endless list of troubles seemed irrelevant because at the end of the day, no matter where I live or how tight my budget is, I will still have these three precious playmates to pass my time with.

So what’s the best thing to do when it’s pouring rain? Pull on the boots, push open the umbrellas, stomp in the puddles, and wait for the sun to start shining again.