Rain

Rain has come to mean many things to me. Here in the mountains it is what makes the earth rich, swells the creeks, and grows the spring plants---if you can get them in the ground. That is a difficulty with rain; it makes the earth soggy and a tractor sinks in soggy ground.

Our strawberries were planted last fall and this spring they have given to us abundantly because of the rain. Last Friday I picked 12 lbs. to take to our children in the eastern part of the state. Last night Ken picked two more baskets. Rain brings food from our land.

Rain also means I work inside the house which moves the writing moves along in the daytime, not just at night. It makes my cubby hole of an office a place to feel snug and warm because with the rain this spring comes unseasonal cold. The high today will be 56. It is mid-May.

So rain makes my world fertile this spring.

Meanwhile my heart goes out to the many people from Missouri to Louisiana to Tennessee(let's not forget Nashville) who find the rain life changing. It has no enchantment and is destructive in the worst ways. And then there is Texas which longs for rain, is thirsty for it, prays to God to give it for the land, for the animals, for the people. May we all have the right amount of rain the rest of the year.