Rain

One Sunday, I was walking in the halls, near the Primary room.  I could hear the entire room of little angels singing.  It wasn't even a quiet song, but I learned a lesson I have never forgotten.  They were singing about the wise man and the foolsih man.  The wise man built his house upon the rock.  The foolish man built his house upon the sand.  The chorus, after telling the story of each of these men, was the same.... "The rains came down and the floods came up...."  That corridor, outside the Primary room that day, became a crucible of learning for me.  I watched the kids sing the song, with great enthusiasm and hand motions indicating how after the storm, the foolish man's house on the sand had washed away, yet the wise man's house, on the rock, stood firm.  I could have pondered the symbolism behind the rock and the sand.  I could have wondered why the foolish man would choose to build his home on ground so unpredictable as sand.   But, what sang to my heart that day, was the fact that it rained on BOTH!!!  I felt chilled by my own reality of suddenly becoming a single parent.  Did I have the strength to row through these difficult waves of financial insecurity, emotional unsteadiness, and constant worry of what tomorrow would bring?  Would I be able to create a lifeboat of safety for my 4 kids, who were depending on me during this flood, for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs?   And, would I be able to rejoice in the small triumphs of each day, while quietly rowing, upstream it often seemed, to keep us all afloat?  I decided that day, in the chill of the hallway of the church, that no matter what changes we had to make as a family, we could do it....together.  I decided that I would not only row, but smile as I did.  And, as our family changed,  we would row and rejoice, as we experienced many blessings along the way.  Whether we feel we have lived a life that is "foolish" or "wise",  the storms of life will come, sometimes in waves of one hard challenge after another.  The question is not "if" they will come, but WHEN they come, will we have the courage to stay in the lifeboat.............and keep rowing?