If You Want the Rainbow

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

This is one of my friend Kelly's favorite quotes, and believe it or not it comes from Dolly Parton... the great philosopher that she is. With the way the weather has gone so far this spring, you can understand why this quote seems to stick out in my mind a bit.

Storms have proven themselves to be difficult for me. I used to think old people were exaggerating when they claimed they could tell a storm was coming in their joints. Now I know they were either playing it down or my body is just a ridiculously excellent meteorologist. The pressure and the increased pain in areas of my body that I can usually count on to be a little less troublesome never ceases to amaze me. I think I'm lucky that I have a curious mind because I find the whole process to be somewhat interesting, despite being unpleasant.

Along with the increased pain usually comes some form of headache... anywhere from an annoying pressure to a lay-in-the-dark, don't-move-a-muscle, pray-to-God-tomorrow-comes-quickly migraine. The only addition to this equation is the fun of getting to care for Riley, as he usually starts throwing up if the migraine lasts more than two days. God I love that dog, but him mimicking my symptoms would be easier to deal with AFTER the headache is gone. Truth be told I feel so bad I'm making him sick that I end up cuddling him more than he does me. I'm kind of a softy that way.

Since I'm always open to new callings, I am often asked by friends to give them my own special forecast... Do I think school will be called off tomorrow or just a late start? Will the track meet be on? How will camping be this weekend? And my all time favorite was when dad wanted to get into the field but wasn't sure if the ground would be dry. I hated to break it to him that I can only tell what the weather will be like in my general vicinity... not two and a half hours away. Sweet of him to have so much faith in me, though.

One thing is always consistent during my storm troubles... I really look forward to the rainbow. I hold on for the headache to go, the sun to come out and the little extra energy to show up after being so exhausted the previous days. I begin to feel like I'm starting over, starting fresh... like I've been granted a reprieve from something worse than my normal self, which suddenly makes the normal not seem so bad.

Do me a favor and remind yourself of this the next time you have to go through a rainy season: There's nowhere to go but through it. Whether that means you have to white knuckle it or maybe be cuddled a little on your way through, I promise if you keep plugging away to the other side the sun will come out and the blessing will be there. God promised you the rainbow. And He promised to be right there with you in the center of the storm. All you have to do is put up with the rain.