"Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life."
- John Updike
The rain pours all day, and well into the evening. I watch a movie, read a bit, and contemplate how I might fill the long rainy season ahead. Contemplating how to balance loneliness with love, gracefully.
***
"Autumn leaves don’t fall; they fly. They take their time and wander on this, their only chance to soar.
Reflecting sunlight, they swirled and sailed and fluttered on the wind drafts."
— Delia Owens (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Black-Eyed Junco
I sat outside in the late afternoon with my camera. He had raked the last of the leaves and the red maple was almost bare. I pulled my hood up over my head, allowing only the lens to peek out. It didn’t take long for the birds to settle in.
I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been; Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were, with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair.
- J. R. R. Tolkien
I took these before the rainfall, before the wind swept through and emptied the trees. I took these for proof. Proof that I am here to witness another season.
***
The empty swing set reminds us of this--
that bad won't be bad forever,
and what is good can sometimes last
a long, long time.
- Jacqueline Woodson
I stop on my way home, just for a few minutes of quiet.
***
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
— Haruki Murakami
The storm arrives unannounced, and I am ready with all the right gear. I sit alone, allowing all the feelings to have their say.
Then I get up, take a few deep breaths, and walk back into my life.
***