When The Rain Comes

I don't know why I don't remember the rain.

Alaska is gorgeous 98.9999% of the time, not the weather per se, but the views. Waking up to God's awesome creation every day was a spiritual experience for me. To be able to take the dogs on a walk and see mountains peaks in the distance was a daily blessing.

I recently read a blog from a girl stationed in Fairbanks who complained that it rained all day in the summer and the sun shone at night and she found it some cruel joke...Yes! Yes, it DID rain a lot. Why don't I remember that when I think back on our time there?

The dogs would track mud in constantly.

Cabin fever was ever-present when the rain hit.

I didn't have a car and my only reprieve from two crazy Alaskan huskies was to leash them up and have them drag me across the slick rocks around our house while I felt icy rain hit my face.

After the rain, it usually meant the Northern Lights would not be making an appearance that night.

There was little to look forward to.

It got old- quick.

Not remembering the rain is odd to me. Why do Captain J and I hold our time in Alaska on some pedestal as if it were Heaven on Earth? Perhaps it was because it was just us- our first year of marriage apart from everyone and everything. We had an extended honeymoon that year complete with mountain hiking, starlight camping, halibut fishing, trips to "the big city", and road trips all over the Last Frontier.

All this got me thinking of the figurative rain I sometimes feel in my own life. Some days I'm drenched in moisture from the storms of that day. Baby K was teething. I was sick. J was gone. I felt alone. Miles away from anyone that could help. It certainly feels like a long week of rain has struck me from time to time.

But I wonder how quickly I'll forget all about this rain? I'm sure I'll yearn for the days when Baby K would still crawl into my arms and let me hold him and stroke every last hair on his head. I'll want his infectious baby laugh drifting through our house and soaking into every fiber of my being. I'll think back to those early weeks with him and remember all the dreams I have for my sweet first born.

I'm positive the rain will all be washed away and our time in Louisiana will be full of sun beams warming me.

The time to enjoy life is now. It's just so short and should be treasured in the sunshine as well as the rain.

"Be joyful always; Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18