Picture Credit: Microsoft Word clipart
The clouds were thick fluffy pillows in spots, blanketing the sky from the brilliant sunshine. Heavy with water droplets, they shed a misty dusting upon the already damp earth. Then those laden clouds parted ever so slightly, and the sun's rays peeked through, poking at my eyelids as I swam the backstroke. The burden was too great to carry, and so heavens opened up and poured down the nourishing, cleansing rain. Again the sun played peek-a-boo.
I love swimming in the rain, and as I switched to the side stroke, I searched the skies for a rainbow--the promise of an ending and a beginning. I felt like an owl, twisting my head all around certain that I'd see a rainbow. Sighing, I accepted that yet again we had a heavy rain with partial sunlight, but still no rainbow. Perhaps my slight frustration gave me the extra oomph to swim a couple of extra laps while the lifeguards a huddled under a sun umbrella.
In my sailing class tonight, I was supposed to be steering the sailboat (a 420) on the lake. I did point us in the required direction, but through the raindrops, I glanced up, forgetting that I needed to be mindful of the other boats.
"A rainbow! A rainbow! Look there's a whole rainbow!" It was magnificent. It began and ended in the lake.
"Laurie, watch where you're steering!" Clunk. We hit the boat next to us, and I hastily apologized.
Then we joked about diving in the water to search for the pot of gold. The big questions: Would there be two pots of gold or one? And if there was one, then which end would have it?
Uh oh! Another collision. Ouch! It was a very mild wind, so no damage was done to either boat, but some of the people in the class were a bit shaken. I decided to really focus on the boat, only snatching glimpses of the rainbow that I'd been pining for the last few days.
Then when it was my turn in the motor boat (quite a civilized way to be on the lake!), I glanced back up at the sky and announced exuberantly, "Another rainbow! It's just part, but look!" Thank goodness I wasn't driving the motorboat. I sat and sighed, fully content. I didn't need a pot of gold; at that moment, I was at complete peace, grateful that my wish had been granted.
When the motorboat picked up speed as we raced between boats offering suggestions, I witnessed many tiny rainbows in the misty wake of the boat.
Silence.
These little rainbows were simply for my eyes.
Gratified, I smiled, looked up at the heavens, and mouthed my thanks.
Those rainbows were worth the waiting and searching. I asked and received. What an abundance of rainbows I had tonight!
Reflecting upon the message of rainbows, I ponder what endings and beginnings are on the horizon...
the end of training for the mile swim across the lake
the beginning of my 18th school year as a teacher
the end of my 41st year of life
the beginning of another sailing class
the beginning of my first blog
I can not imagine what other endings and beginnings Divinity has in store for me, but as the gentle wind was ever-changing (a fluky wind), I embrace change, complete with all of its endings and beginnings.
Namaste.
L
No comments:
Post a Comment