After the Rain

On our walk to school today, we got wet shoes (I need to invest in a pair of rain boots), wet pants and wet umbrellas. Walking in the rain is lovely as long as it isn’t too cold. I love the different scents; the water dripping down from the sky and the trees; the ripples in the puddles. The girls love the rain, too; they get to use their umbrellas and wear rain boots!

The girls with rain boots and umbrellas a couple of summers ago
Rain drops on my rose bush
Watch out, Itsy-Bitsy Spider!
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head

One of the lovely things about rain is the rainbow possibility. Today Emmy and I were lucky; the sun started to shine and a rainbow appeared. Dark clouds were behind the rainbow yet, and it was faint and hard to see.  Once we walked into the preschool room, the teachers brought all the kids to the windows to see; the dark clouds were dissipating and the rainbow was shining brighter in the sky.

A faint rainbow after the rain during a Michigan vacation

Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. When a rainbow appears, the dark clouds are a reminder of the rain that just was. Rainbows are unpredictable; we hope for them; we wish for a rainbow to appear after the rainstorm. I have searched for a rainbow in the skies many times after a storm, disappointed. I’ll know that the conditions are right–the rain has passed us by and the sun is shining through the rain; there must be a rainbow somewhere! Perhaps someone else is in the right spot to see the rainbow when I’m unable to find it. Perhaps someone else is seeing its beauty. That’s a nice thought, isn’t it?

Wishing rainbow skies for you today!

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Summer Fun: Then and Now

Part of the joy of being a mom is doing the fun summer things with my own kids that I remember doing as a child. When I grew up in Central Illinois, wading and canoeing in the creek was so much fun! My kids experienced wading in a creek during our vacation in Cook Forest, PA. The girls tried to catch tadpoles (key word: tried) and watched water bugs skate along the surface of the water.

Emmy wading in the “crick” with Daddy.

As a kid, we went on vacation every summer with my Dad’s family on one of the Great Lakes. We rented some cabins for years on the shore of Lake Huron, and then we switched to a huge house on Lake Michigan. That vacation is still going strong every year. I love seeing my kids swim with my cousins’ kids.

Lily (middle) swims in Lake Michigan with two of my cousin’s kids.
Emmy’s feet in the sand

Rock climbing

Then there is something my parents never would have let us do during the summer–go to a carnival. Mom didn’t trust the rides, and Dad didn’t know why anyone would ride them in the first place!

Emmy flying high

Lily concentrating on turning that teacup
What fun things are you doing this summer?

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