We are all Children on a Rainy Day.
Yesterday while driving into town the rain was pounding down on everything. My drive from our home to town is about 20 minutes of relatively traffic free driving. There is lots of beautiful scenery and it gives you time to breathe before you engage in whatever activity you are headed to; be it work or play. I have told my husband that we are so blessed to be able to live in such a breath taking place. The air yesterday was balmy and thick and the sound of rushing water could be heard everywhere. The sounds in particular took me back to years ago and put a smile in my heart. Having had five children and been on a tight budget most of their growing up years lead us to find all kinds of cheap amusement in all sorts of odd places. One of which was rainy days. When my oldest two children were small and the “new” baby needed to nap we would sometimes take a drive. These drives were sometimes nothing more than a quick trip to the store but other times they were family style Sunday field trips into the country where on a dirt road the older two would roll down windows and hang out of them calling to cows. I always loved the “slow down mommy & daddy that one heard us!” as the cows would blindly follow any vehicle that came close looking for feed. The baby got older and didn't need car vibrations to fall asleep so we stopped our trips to nowhere. We did miss the drives. One afternoon after several days of being cooped up due to rain, I remembered the joyful giggles in the back seat from drives past. Some of the most vibrant laughter came from driving through low water bridges or large puddles. The children loved the way the water would splash up and over the car and sometimes onto them. They would always beg to go back and do it again. This rainy day years ago, was similar to yesterday; warm, humid and rushing water everywhere. I told the kids we were going on a fun trip. I dressed them in old clothes and loaded their puzzled little faces into Daddy’s car. My husband’s car had long ago been named “squeaky” because it was our second vehicle and was a budget purchase. Those brilliant little people knew something was up. Mom never drove squeaky! Squeaky was just that, Squeaky! Squeaky was an old Oldsmobile along the lines of a “k” car. It was a generic flesh colored beige and really there wasn't anything you could do to that car that would hurt it. The kids especially loved the squeaks it made when going over rough terrain; I however was often traumatized by the car. Squeaky was the perfect vehicle for our trip. As the rain poured down on us in our squeaky old car, I drove towards the back roads. When we got to the right spot I hit our first BIG puddle the children squealed with delight. We drove for nearly 2 hours that day doing nothing but hitting the biggest puddles we could drive through in our super car. I finally announced it was time to head home. The tears started streaming down their little cheeks, “please mommy just a few more splashes?” I gave in, but let them know we would head home and look for some more puddles on our way. On the way home I am sure anybody who saw our car would have suspected “a liquid over use” of some sort but not the kind we had enjoyed all afternoon. We swerved to the side of the road, to the middle and through all the dips to hit every single puddle along the way! As a young parent I would have never guessed that something so simple as driving through water would amuse 3 small children for soooo long! We got home just as the rain finally stopped. The children and I went inside to start dinner. Over dinner they told their father of our great adventure in squeaky. Anybody listening would have thought we had gone on some grand trip they were so excited. They told of the splashes, and the cows and how “we even did it in town” which must have appeared taboo to our oldest, as he lowered his voice to a whisper to divulge “his secret”. We spent many years home educating and many rainy days where when the childen finished they couldn't play outside when school work was done. At least one of our children would always ask on those days; “if they got done with their schoolwork in time could we go drive through puddles?” Sometimes we would drive down to the creeks and wait for the water to rise during a heavy downpour. The kids would get so excited driving from one low water bridge to another waiting for the water to spike. They would push sticks in to the banks and eagerly wait for the water to overcome their markers. We did discuss the dangers of flash floods but we also enjoyed this time out together while the rest of the world hung out inside. Rubber boots, raincoats and lots of rain could provide hours of free fun. My kids are older and now they drive themselves down to watch the water rise during a heavy rain. Sometimes I join them. We often ride our ATV’s instead of braving the weather in a car. We manage to get completely soaked along the way. I wonder if for the young adults now living in our home the creeks, puddles and low water bridges are like old friends they can’t wait to visit on a rainy afternoon. If they are home they seldom miss the chance to go to them. I would never have imagined the number of hours spent just driving through water that we have clocked over the years. As my children grew the giggles were always there on our outings but we also spent many of those hours just talking about life. As I was driving into work yesterday the weather reminded me of all those afternoons spent with my children. I didn’t want to go to work, I wanted to go drive through flooded waters and hear my children squeal with delight. I went over two flooded areas on my way. The first one was just a small stream over the road. I watched as the car ahead of me slowed and crawled through it. About a mile or two further as I approached the low water bridge that always floods there was of course water over the road. There was a sign which announced this before I got there. There are many (low water bridges) that are impassible and not safe but this one usually doesn’t get more than 6-8 inches over and literally flows out into a cow field; no danger of being swept away by raging water. As I approached it there was already one vehicle sitting there accessing the 3-4 inches of water? The car directly in front of me slowed to a stop and of course so did I. I sat there for a few minutes waiting to see if either would go for it. I rolled down my window and listened to the water, felt the rain and smelled the damp fresh spring air. I knew what I needed to do. I backed up and inched around the other cars. Took a second to pause and hit the gas! The water flew up over my car and the weight of it gave a small jolt to my rather large vehicle. As I went through the creek I felt invigorated and happy. I was reminded of joyful puddles and of the strength of Gods wonders. Family, time, nature and weather all become one in my head for a split second. I looked behind me now and realized that both of the other two cars had taken my lead. I don’t know what went through their minds as they embarked across the flooded creek, fright, joy, calm, success? I am sure adrenalin played a big role. What made them go through that water? Had they seen the safe passage I made or had they simply sat there long enough; perhaps it even looked fun. We never really know what drives one person to do something. I am not sure what I was thinking the day I loaded my children into the car to drive in the rain. I am glad I did. Sometimes we are leaders, sometimes followers. Often we want the safety of someone to go first. On rare instances we are free thinkers we “drive” feet/wheels first into the water. My children most of the times are the free thinkers and I love that. They enjoy the feeling of being the first to dive into something. I can’t help but feel that given a safety net of a solid family has helped them to do this with a secure place to fall back to. We all have this safety net even if the family or our world is struggling. God wants us to move forward even in the “flooded water” we sometimes encounter. He has proven many times over that he will “part the sea" or provide us shelter. Sometimes taking that first step is scary sometimes the water may be just too deep and we need to go around another way but there is always good to come of it. Jesus said, “The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is one who makes himself humble like this child”. ~Matthew 18:4 we should all dive into the “deep waters in our life” and find joy in them like a child. Laugh as the water splashes you in the face and enjoy the ride. For a child the mud puddle is something of joy to an adult it is often an obstacle to be overcome. Enjoy the moment, make memories, move forward and pray unceasingly for those who need it. Life is good even on a rainy day! Copyright 2013 Micheline Edwards
Friday, April 19, 2013
We are all Children on a Rainy Day
We are all Children on a Rainy Day.
Yesterday while driving into town the rain was pounding down on everything. My drive from our home to town is about 20 minutes of relatively traffic free driving. There is lots of beautiful scenery and it gives you time to breathe before you engage in whatever activity you are headed to; be it work or play. I have told my husband that we are so blessed to be able to live in such a breath taking place. The air yesterday was balmy and thick and the sound of rushing water could be heard everywhere. The sounds in particular took me back to years ago and put a smile in my heart. Having had five children and been on a tight budget most of their growing up years lead us to find all kinds of cheap amusement in all sorts of odd places. One of which was rainy days. When my oldest two children were small and the “new” baby needed to nap we would sometimes take a drive. These drives were sometimes nothing more than a quick trip to the store but other times they were family style Sunday field trips into the country where on a dirt road the older two would roll down windows and hang out of them calling to cows. I always loved the “slow down mommy & daddy that one heard us!” as the cows would blindly follow any vehicle that came close looking for feed. The baby got older and didn't need car vibrations to fall asleep so we stopped our trips to nowhere. We did miss the drives. One afternoon after several days of being cooped up due to rain, I remembered the joyful giggles in the back seat from drives past. Some of the most vibrant laughter came from driving through low water bridges or large puddles. The children loved the way the water would splash up and over the car and sometimes onto them. They would always beg to go back and do it again. This rainy day years ago, was similar to yesterday; warm, humid and rushing water everywhere. I told the kids we were going on a fun trip. I dressed them in old clothes and loaded their puzzled little faces into Daddy’s car. My husband’s car had long ago been named “squeaky” because it was our second vehicle and was a budget purchase. Those brilliant little people knew something was up. Mom never drove squeaky! Squeaky was just that, Squeaky! Squeaky was an old Oldsmobile along the lines of a “k” car. It was a generic flesh colored beige and really there wasn't anything you could do to that car that would hurt it. The kids especially loved the squeaks it made when going over rough terrain; I however was often traumatized by the car. Squeaky was the perfect vehicle for our trip. As the rain poured down on us in our squeaky old car, I drove towards the back roads. When we got to the right spot I hit our first BIG puddle the children squealed with delight. We drove for nearly 2 hours that day doing nothing but hitting the biggest puddles we could drive through in our super car. I finally announced it was time to head home. The tears started streaming down their little cheeks, “please mommy just a few more splashes?” I gave in, but let them know we would head home and look for some more puddles on our way. On the way home I am sure anybody who saw our car would have suspected “a liquid over use” of some sort but not the kind we had enjoyed all afternoon. We swerved to the side of the road, to the middle and through all the dips to hit every single puddle along the way! As a young parent I would have never guessed that something so simple as driving through water would amuse 3 small children for soooo long! We got home just as the rain finally stopped. The children and I went inside to start dinner. Over dinner they told their father of our great adventure in squeaky. Anybody listening would have thought we had gone on some grand trip they were so excited. They told of the splashes, and the cows and how “we even did it in town” which must have appeared taboo to our oldest, as he lowered his voice to a whisper to divulge “his secret”. We spent many years home educating and many rainy days where when the childen finished they couldn't play outside when school work was done. At least one of our children would always ask on those days; “if they got done with their schoolwork in time could we go drive through puddles?” Sometimes we would drive down to the creeks and wait for the water to rise during a heavy downpour. The kids would get so excited driving from one low water bridge to another waiting for the water to spike. They would push sticks in to the banks and eagerly wait for the water to overcome their markers. We did discuss the dangers of flash floods but we also enjoyed this time out together while the rest of the world hung out inside. Rubber boots, raincoats and lots of rain could provide hours of free fun. My kids are older and now they drive themselves down to watch the water rise during a heavy rain. Sometimes I join them. We often ride our ATV’s instead of braving the weather in a car. We manage to get completely soaked along the way. I wonder if for the young adults now living in our home the creeks, puddles and low water bridges are like old friends they can’t wait to visit on a rainy afternoon. If they are home they seldom miss the chance to go to them. I would never have imagined the number of hours spent just driving through water that we have clocked over the years. As my children grew the giggles were always there on our outings but we also spent many of those hours just talking about life. As I was driving into work yesterday the weather reminded me of all those afternoons spent with my children. I didn’t want to go to work, I wanted to go drive through flooded waters and hear my children squeal with delight. I went over two flooded areas on my way. The first one was just a small stream over the road. I watched as the car ahead of me slowed and crawled through it. About a mile or two further as I approached the low water bridge that always floods there was of course water over the road. There was a sign which announced this before I got there. There are many (low water bridges) that are impassible and not safe but this one usually doesn’t get more than 6-8 inches over and literally flows out into a cow field; no danger of being swept away by raging water. As I approached it there was already one vehicle sitting there accessing the 3-4 inches of water? The car directly in front of me slowed to a stop and of course so did I. I sat there for a few minutes waiting to see if either would go for it. I rolled down my window and listened to the water, felt the rain and smelled the damp fresh spring air. I knew what I needed to do. I backed up and inched around the other cars. Took a second to pause and hit the gas! The water flew up over my car and the weight of it gave a small jolt to my rather large vehicle. As I went through the creek I felt invigorated and happy. I was reminded of joyful puddles and of the strength of Gods wonders. Family, time, nature and weather all become one in my head for a split second. I looked behind me now and realized that both of the other two cars had taken my lead. I don’t know what went through their minds as they embarked across the flooded creek, fright, joy, calm, success? I am sure adrenalin played a big role. What made them go through that water? Had they seen the safe passage I made or had they simply sat there long enough; perhaps it even looked fun. We never really know what drives one person to do something. I am not sure what I was thinking the day I loaded my children into the car to drive in the rain. I am glad I did. Sometimes we are leaders, sometimes followers. Often we want the safety of someone to go first. On rare instances we are free thinkers we “drive” feet/wheels first into the water. My children most of the times are the free thinkers and I love that. They enjoy the feeling of being the first to dive into something. I can’t help but feel that given a safety net of a solid family has helped them to do this with a secure place to fall back to. We all have this safety net even if the family or our world is struggling. God wants us to move forward even in the “flooded water” we sometimes encounter. He has proven many times over that he will “part the sea" or provide us shelter. Sometimes taking that first step is scary sometimes the water may be just too deep and we need to go around another way but there is always good to come of it. Jesus said, “The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is one who makes himself humble like this child”. ~Matthew 18:4 we should all dive into the “deep waters in our life” and find joy in them like a child. Laugh as the water splashes you in the face and enjoy the ride. For a child the mud puddle is something of joy to an adult it is often an obstacle to be overcome. Enjoy the moment, make memories, move forward and pray unceasingly for those who need it. Life is good even on a rainy day! Copyright 2013 Micheline Edwards
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Giving Up Coffee for Lent takes you Nowhere.
Giving up coffee for Lent takes you nowhere…
Spring has finally arrived in the Ozarks. On Easter Sunday we were still recovering from the rain, snow and cold that came upon us. While it seemed that the gloomy weather was out of character for the season; it was to me, quite fitting. It was still March and it was Lent. As Christians we look at Lent as a time of reflection and abstinence. As a member of the Catholic Church we give up something for this time and like to believe it makes us better humans. Our house of course always has a discussion about the usual avoidance of meat on Fridays; most Catholics do. Ours Is somewhat different due to the issue that we have a vegetarian in our house and don’t eat meat about half of the week anyway. This conversation then leads into what we should additionally sacrifice during this time. The usual responses from friends and family range from television, Facebook, chocolate and soda, to wine and swearing. Now, I don’t know about you but giving up swearing probably would improve your standing at the golden gates; however, I really don’t think avoiding chocolate or social media is going to earn any extra golden check marks from God. Although one year I did give up coffee and I can tell you that the self-discipline it took to be civil every morning might have taught me something; perhaps my lesson was “THAT was never happening again!”. During our “Lenten trial periods” early in our family we came up with an idea we stuck with for many years (still do this often). We decided that everybody was to give up one (still useful) item every day during Lent. No, the trash you left on your bedroom floor doesn't count! For our family of seven (years ago) this amounted to seven items a day for 40 days! If you didn't already do the math that is 280 things removed from our home. This is of course the ultimate spring cleaning. We figured this was a great way to give a lot of things to charity and purge ourselves from unwanted “stuff”. In the beginning the kids are always very giving but by days 3 to 5; I always get the occasional sock w/ a hole or something along those lines placed in our to go box. Upon cornering the child who “sacrificed this treasure” I ask, “is this the best you can do?” I get answers that sound like this, “I was out of things to give” or “I couldn't give anymore”. My classic response is “REALLY?” The whole course of this sequence leads to an eventual discussion of you can always give more than you think you can. Reach down into your heart (closet, toy box, drawers etc) and look! What a hands on lesson! “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for the people” ~Colossians 3:23 . So we reach the end of Lent every year and repeat a lesson in life that we can always give more, do more and sacrifice more than we thought we could. This lesson repeats it’s self so many times in our HOLY BIBLE it is good to repeat it many times in our lives. All of the items for charity are placed in boxes downstairs on a bench (actually this is a large church pew!) and taken to the needy. So now we have a clean(er) house and hearts. Back to the weather; It was still dark and gloomy outside the week before Easter. For some reason as long as I can remember it always seems to be overcast or rainy on Good Friday. By Easter the sun usually is shining and the day is beautiful. This year was no exception. It was if God himself took us from darkness into light! Now, isn't that the journey we are yearning for as we leap into the light and warmth of spring and Easter? Lent and winter seem to prepare us for the light and the life to come. I know this is a bit late for this year (or is it?) but maybe next year as Lent approaches (or all year) each of you can dig down within yourselves and search to give more than you thought you had to offer. The weather this week does feel more like spring. In the week since Easter our flowers started blooming, the grass is greener and new life has arrived at our farm. My children are now much older and only 2 still live at home. We don’t always totally stick to the 40 items for 40 days rule but we do try to give. We of course don’t eat meat on Fridays (as we don’t 3-4 days a week anyway; Mr. Veggie is one still at home). We try to fast a bit as well. We try to keep as often as possible to simple one course meals so that we are giving up more than just the meat which might have been missing anyway. As we enter the Easter and spring season, we should look within our hearts to give more, take less and look to the Son as a shining example as whom we should be like. I hope your Lenten journey prepared you for a Happy Easter and Spring. By the way you might have guessed, the moral of this story is not; “Don’t give up coffee!” Copyright 2013 Micheline Edwards
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