Smiling into the Dark

I think people here are close to getting a weather-related complex. Moisture gathered in the sky dodges our area and finds a drain over areas south, north, east, and occasionally west of here, but here?--a soft mist last evening, a three-minute shower both of the last two nights, with all traces having disappeared by the next morning, except for little dimples in the driveway sand, minimal dust kicked up on the gravel roads early in the day, and a bit of moisture in the rain guage. In the wheat fields, I wonder if any of the drops even hit the soil, with all those bearded heads, stalks, and leaves crowding together and absorbing in their lifted welcoming parts the bit of moisture that was offered.

For this afternoon, we have a tornado watch. On the weather map, we're in the "Greatest Risk" section. The main caption on the map proclaims: "Severe Weather Likely for this Afternoon- Evening." The subtitles are: "Very Large Hail, Damaging Winds, Isolated Tornadoes." The text version helpfully clarifies that hail up to three inches in diameter is possible. This weather pattern is predicted to continue into tomorrow.

Rain chances for tonight and tomorrow are 60% (Been there several times recently with the aforementioned underwhelming results.)

With the dire predictions in place, it's tempting to think that if all that weather violence is a guaranteed accompaniment to whatever rain we get, we'll take a pass--yet again.

Last night after church on my way through the mist to the car, I couldn't help smiling. I wondered if I would have seen children dancing in the rain if I had exited the building before most of them left for home. In bed, listening to the rain begin, I grinned broadly into the dark.

It doesn't take anything dramatic to please us right now--a slow, steady, prolonged gray and gloomy rain sounds perfect--minus the fireworks, icy cannonballs, and straight or rotating gales.

Today we'll do again what we've done many times of late, tell God what we'd like, with begging and pleading not off-limits, and then we'll take whatever we get, and try to remember that God is good all the time, whether or not we get the rain we're so desperate for.