When It Rains

It starts with just a drop.  Then two.  Three.  Tiny dots on the pavement.  The grey sidewalk suddenly darkens as the drops fall faster.

From a sprinkle, to a shower.  

It starts small.  Misplacing your keys.  Getting lost while driving.  Missing an important call.  Little things.  Things that in the big picture, don't really matter.

From a shower to a steady fall. Then it gets a little harder.  A disagreement with a friend.  Harsh words with a family member.  A bad day at work.  A forgotten appointment.  Still not life-changing events, but they begin to build.

From a steady fall to a deluge.
Then the accumulation seems more than you can bear.  A family crisis and all that entails.  You are a bystander in a crazy situation, where all you can do to help is be around.  A friendship is lost, challenged, or torn.  A family pet becomes deathly ill.  You are emotionally overwhelmed.  The emotional stress begins to affect you physically.  You are emotionally, physically, spiritually spent.  Your cup runneth low.  You feel like all you want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep.  You need to recharge, but sometimes to fully recharge, you need to fully exhaust the battery.

From a deluge to a thunderstorm.
Then it seems impossible.  That feeling like one little piece of string is holding you up.  That if you move you will fall.  That you are one wrong move from crumbling to the ground.  Then the thunder rolls.  You were planning on a fun vacation with a friend.  One that you were tentative to get your hopes up for, but you did.  And then that friend says they can't do it.  And the lightning strikes.  The dam bursts.  And the tears fall.

It is then.  It is then that you remember that in the corner of your closet lies an umbrella.  Perhaps it's a favorite book and a cup of tea.  Maybe it's a favorite movie.  Comfort food.  A song that always seems to lift you up.  Encouraging words at the moment you need to hear them.  Finding out that someone cares, is praying for you, or is thinking of you.

You need to pull out that umbrella.  Cover yourself with it.  And wait out the storm.  Because it can't rain forever.  It hasn't been raining forever.  It may feel that way...

But we can't appreciate the warmth of the sun unless we've seen the clouds.  We can't appreciate the beauty of flowers without first seeing the rain.  We can't appreciate the beautifully sunny days without experiencing some storms.

Photos found on We Heart It: http://vi.sualize.us/view/270c484cda5d94b4b2045d8b5161449d/ and http://smileeyouarebeautiful.tumblr.com/