Enjoy the rain   . . .                                         or go to  

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom, and when they came outside, it was pouring rain ... the kind of downpour that creates a flood in the street. Everyone waited, some patiently, others a bit irked because nature was messing up their busy day.

Yet rainfall is sometimes mesmerizing as we watch the sight and sound of the heavens washing away the dust and dirt of the world.

Memories of running and splashing in a warm rain as a carefree child come to mind as a welcome reprieve from the worries of the day.

Then the little girl broke through the hypnotic trance of enjoying the rain when she said, "Let's run through the rain, mommy." What? "Let's run through the rain!"

"No, honey. We need to wait until it slows down a bit," her mom replied.

But after the little girl waited for a minute, she repeated: "Please Mommy, let's run through the rain." "But we would get soaked," her mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,' the little girl replied as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"When did I ever say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything'!"

The chatty crowd standing nearby suddenly became stone silent. You could not hear anything but the rain. Everyone just stood there silently as everyone reflected on what this charming little girl had said. Her mother also had to pause and think for a moment about how she might respond to that ...

Some might try to ignore what she said. Some might even laugh. Yet this was a moment for affirmation in a litle child's life. A time when her innocent trust needed to be nurtured so that it could bloom into a deeper faith.

So, her mother said, "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well, maybe we just need washing,"

Then off they ran. Everyone stood watching, smiling, and laughing as mother and daughter darted out into the rain and running through the puddles. Sure enough, they got soaked. And they were even followed by a few others who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. We ran. We got wet. Yes, we definitely needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions. They can take away your money. And at some point you might even have your good health taken away. But nothing can ever take away your precious memories.

So, remember to make time and take the opportunities to make wonderful new memories every day.

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

So, just take a leap of faith and run through the rain sometime.

It takes only a minute to find a very special person, perhaps an hour to appreciate them, and a bit more time to really love them. But it takes longer than an entire life-time to forget the most special people and memories in your life.

Take the time to really live life and savor every moment!

Keep in touch with your friends. You never know when you'll need each other.

And don't forget to run in the rain!