Take A Walk With Us: The Thing About The Rain

We All Need A Rainbow Now And Then

If it didn't rain, we'd never see a rainbow. It was a pretty much windy, rainy, raw miserable day yesterday.  Gman texted me at the end of the day and said 'double rainbow - do you see it?'. I of course jumped from my office chair and shot out the door. I did see it, but didn't have my camera in my hand. Bummer. By the time I did, the double rainbow had faded, but there was still one gorgeous one there lighting up the sky.

I stood in the side yard and took a few shots.

Then I turned in the opposite direction toward the southwest and saw the glow through Tom and Joan's pines.

I knew I had to see what the sky over the field looked like, but I had a hard time turning away from the rainbow.  I finally ran around the front of the house, but still had to look back at the rainbow.

{Honestly, I looked and looked.......

....all night long......

...but never found the pot of gold in our house.}

I did finally turn around to the field.

Do you think I could have ignored this?

Not.

A.

Chance.

That's the thing about the rain.

Once you get through it, things look so much better.


My Mistake & Another Rainbow

When I listed the Veterans in my life on Veterans Day, I forgot two.  My Uncle Whitey and my Uncle Bobby. I thought Uncle Whitey (my Mom's sister's husband) was, but wasn't sure. Uncle Bobby....I honestly had no idea. How sad is that? Not sure how I missed that info before, but I did.  My Mother's baby brother served in Korea according to my Dad. I thought he was too young (yes, Aunt Joan, you can tell him that I said 'too young' unless you don't want it to go to his head). Tip of the hat to the two I missed.

Speaking of Uncle Bobby and Aunt Joan, like many, they suffered great damage to their little cottage on the NJ shore thanks to Sandy. They've worked their butts off all their life and really cherish the time they get to spend at their cottage on the shore, so to know it now needs a gut job makes me sad for them.  The rainbow makes me think of what they've been through and my friends and their families who have suffered dearly because of the storm.  Many have lost just about everything, some have lost cars, some just lost power.  The good thing about a tragedy like Sandy is that it brings out the best in people. Sure, it can also bring out the worst in some, but I'd prefer to focus on the people who show their best side in hard times. While my aunt, uncle and cousin assessed the damage to the cottage (looked ok from outside, but the inside had 2.5 feet of water, sand and mud run through it) and began to start taking things outside, three men from Pennsylvania stopped by to offer help. They didn't know them. They just wanted to help. They wouldn't give them their names. They simply got busy helping them remove all the water damaged things from the cottage.  I know it meant a tremendous amount to my Aunt and Uncle and my cousin Suzanne, who said they were 'angels'.  These guys were the were the embodiment of a rainbow after the storm.  So are the attitudes and the fortitude of those who have lost so much.

Let's think good thoughts for all of the people dealing with so much in the aftermath of Sandy.  They can use 'em.

Ciao for now,