Giving Thanks - Day 2

I've been giving a lot of thought all day to this concept of saying what I'm thankful for each day. It's easy to come up with what I think of as the "standard" things -- family, friends, good health, etc. I will address all of those in the coming days, but first, I'm trying to dig a little deeper and think about things that aren't quite so obvious. I'll save the easy subjects for days when I'm suffering from writer's block or don't have any fresh ideas.

So, today I want to say that I'm thankful for rain. I know -- if you live in the DC area, you're probably starting to sprout webbed feet because of all the rain we've had the last few days. Today was miserable to most people -- wet, rainy, windy, cold -- a good day to snuggle up in front of a roaring fire with a good book and a hot toddy. I agree with that and admit that it's a little bit difficult to actually admit I'm thankful for rain on a day like today. However, that having been said, I decided to look at the positive and think about all of the good things associated with rain.

First of all, it's better than snow! If all this rain had come down when it was 30 degrees colder, we'd have over a foot of snow, so I'm thankful that didn't happen. Of course, the most obvious positive is that rain is necessary for the plants, trees and grass to grow. Everything will be green and lush for the next few days, so that's a good thing. Rain shows that Mother Nature is still doing her job by providing the water that we need for survival, too.

The best thing about rain, though, is that sometimes, if you're very lucky, it's followed by sunshine and a beautiful rainbow. Not today...but last week, when I was taking a tour group from Arlington National Cemetery to the Jefferson Memorial, we had a quick storm and then the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. We saw the most magnificent rainbow (see my post "Stop the World" for a description). Times like that seem almost magical and we can't have the rainbow if we don't also have the rain!

Finally, there are times when you really do want to snuggle up in front of the TV or a roaring fire and just give in to being lazy and rainy days are perfect for that. I wish I could have had one of those days today, but maybe the next rainy day I'll be able to give in to it.

So, enjoy the rain, if you can. Splash in the puddles...bundle up your children and take a rain hike...or sit in your favorite chair, open the curtains and just watch it come down as you sip your tea or coffee. It's a good thing!