Let it Rain

Later today, hubby and I will head up to the land. We live in the desert and the house we’re building is at a higher elevation, in pinyon pine country. On the way, we pass through a pristine patch of desert, which is gloriously awash in color from golden Mexican poppies, purple lupine and slender stalks of orange globe mallow.

These spring wildflowers are as fickle as a cat. They need just the right conditions to flourish. Specifically, they need a lot of winter rain. We’ve been in a drought for years, so spectacular wildflowers have not been in great abundance, until now.

I couldn’t resist the analogy. The wildflowers bloom, not in spite of the storms, but because of then. Without the rain, the desert would be brown and dry. Not dead, but dormant. It’s the storms that bring it to life.

I can’t help but think that my own life is generous and abundant, not in spite of the storms, but because of them. Bread is not bread unless it has passed though the oven. Yeast may make the dough rise, but without heat, it remains a blobby, gooey mess.

I have been formed by fire. Al-Anon teaches me that I have choices about how I can feel about that. My program teaches me that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. I can let the hard times throw me into despair or I can embrace them.

I’ve prayed the acceptance prayer a lot lately. It begins, “Acceptance is the answer to my serenity today.” Denying reality is the very definition of insanity. I can’t change what is, but I can change how I feel about it. I can rest easy knowing that there are no mistakes in my God’s universe and that everything is as it should be. Wherever God has put me is the right place. The people He has put in front of me are the right people. I may not always find pleasure in my current situation, but there is wisdom. I can be grateful for the lesson. I can be grateful for the rain.

Thank you all for your comments on yesterday’s post. I couldn’t help but notice how many people admitted to being serious. I believe that a serious nature is another effect of this disease, as common as the desire to control. I wrote about it here. The good news for me is that if that is true, then “being restored to sanity” can also mean being restored to light heartedness.

See you in a few days. Meanwhile, take it easy.