When the rain, rain goes away

The last week or so, rains of varying degrees have hit our home. Morning drizzles. Afternoon showers. Nighttime thunderstorms.

After probably six inches or so of the precipitation I needed last fall to save my landscaping, I'm anxious for some sun. But I can't complain. Because in those instances when the rain does go away, I've been blessed with some magic moments.

Like stopping to watch a half dozen baby goslings struggle to hop up from the ditch into a flooded rainfield.

Or seeing the first "heart flowers," as my daughter calls them, of the spring, and seeing her pluck them lovingly off my plants to share with me.

Or taking a quiet walk - in the sun, no less! - at a retreat center on the way home from a funeral, the one non-rainy moment of the day.

Or taking a less quiet walk, getting splashed by my children, who have a knack of finding even the most miniscule of puddles.

Sure, I'd like the rain to stop. But sometimes, it's a reminder of the little moments that we otherwise take for granted.