Rainbows...

Yesterday's indulgence in my spring fever did not come without a cost: I have had a headache all day long today. I got sunburned from all my fun in the sun, and I always get a headache on the first day of a burn. Fortunately I was wearing a short sleeved shirt, so my shoulders didn't get any burn at all. If I get one more burn on my shoulders like I've had in the past, I'm going to have to get a biopsy for melanoma. I really don't want to get cancer, so I'm really going to try hard this season NOT to burn so badly!!

This morning my son dragged me out into the chilly, wet, windy day to ride his tricycle around the block. The child doesn't realize that just because we spent all day outside yesterday, we can't do the same every day for the rest of his life!! Oh well, I literally walked two miles today!!

This evening I had to work. We were supposed to be counting from 7-9, and I guessed that we'd be done around 8:30. But we finished at 7:00!! I was so very excited!! It stormed really badly for about half an hour, and when it was done, there was the most beautiful rainbow... It was so bright and so glowing, and it even had a double!! You could see the whole arch of it!!

I remember one night when I was in high school. I was working at the bookstore with one other person, and it had been raining for the majority of the day. My coworker went out to help a someone load her car, and he came running back in. "Shut the drawer and come outside!!" He dragged me out to the little bit of grass between the parking lot and the road, and we stood there, just basking in the demonstration of God's promise. It's the most beautiful rainbow in my memory. We didn't stay long, but still...

The first time I remember seeing a rainbow was on my sister's fourth birthday. We were on Hilton Head island for an insurance conference, and we stayed a couple extra days for Mandy's birthday. And I remember being so jealous that God gave her a rainbow, and not me. But it was so wonderful.

I have always loved rainbows. I am so disappointed that they have become a symbol of the gay rights movement. I wish rainbows had kept their purity. Every time I see a rainbow, I am filled with awe. It is a reminder that when it rained tonight, God could have kept going. He could have flooded the earth again. But He didn't. He stopped, and put a ribbon in the sky to hold the floods back. I wonder if when God looks at the rainbow, He reminds Himself that He loves us. There are times when I am so frustrated with my son that I just have to sit and remind myself that I love him. At those times, I will often give him an extra hug, or a piece of chocolate, just for being my baby. I wonder if that's what a rainbow is - a hug for the whole world.

Rainbows are one of the few things that I have absolutely no negative memories associated with. Every time I have seen a rainbow, something wonderful has happened or was happening. It is a precious gift from God to me, because there are very very few things that have no negative associations for me. And the fact that He chooses to reinforce this promise in my life over and over and over is just beautiful. I rarely see rainbows. In all my life, I only remember five specific rainbows. Three have been in the last five years.

Dear Father,
Thank you. What more can I say?
Amen.