I listen. That's where my stories come from.
I speak. That's how I get to meet the most incredible people.
But sometimes just listening from afar is enough to fill my heart.
I don't always need to say hello to bring a perfect stranger into my life.
Conversations overheard are lessons in life sometimes even more powerful
than those we are a part of.
This brief encounter filled my day to capacity. If only they knew the
gift they gave me.
She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckled
faced image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the Wtitleon's or a
moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was old fashioned.
Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear natural. She had on a pair of
tan shorts and light blue knit shirt. Her sneakers were white with a blue
trim. She looked like a Mom.
It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of
rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down
the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to capacity and some
were blocked so that huge puddles laked around parked cars.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart.
We waited, some patiently, others aggravated because nature messed up
their hurried day.
I am always mesmerized by rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight
of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running,
splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve
from the worries of my day.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught
in.
"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.
"What?" Mom asked.
"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated her statement.
"Mom. Let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,"
the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I 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 entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything
but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some
would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what
was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life.
A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain.
If
God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.
Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they
darted past the cars and yes through the puddles. They held their shopping bags
over their heads just in case.
They got soaked. But they were followed by a few believers who screamed
and laughed like children all the way to their cars. Perhaps inspired by their
faith and trust.
I want to believe that some where down the road in life, Mom will find
herself reflecting back on moments they spent together, captured like pictures
in the scrapbook of her cherished memories. Maybe when she watches proudly as
her daughter graduates. Or as her Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding
day.
She will laugh again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile
will tell the world they love each other. But only two people will share that
precious moment when they ran through the rain believing that God would
get them through.
Yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
"I believe in you!"
A special thanks to Bob Perks © 2001 for
use of his writings.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they
can take away your money, they can take away your health.
But no one can ever take away your precious memories.
So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities ...
To make memories every day!
Believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet
when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN
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