My mother had been ill for a long time and blindness had developed. She was also unable to communicate much, and we were not sure how much she understood. One day when she was in hospice and nearing the end of her life, I was visiting with her and describing the weather outside her window. The clouds were dark, the wind was blowing wildly, tree branches were swaying, and leaves were turning over. A sure sign of a thunderstorm was rolling in. My Mom was a very faithful women even through all her surgeries and treatments. So, before I left, I asked Mom if we could pray together. I thanked God for his many blessings we as a family have received, I asked for his continued loving care of my mother. Then I asked Mom what she wanted to add to the prayer not really expecting an answer, she said ‘thank you Lord for the gentle rain”. I didn’t understand, I had just described to her the coming of a thunderstorm, gentle rain? As I thought about her prayer more, I realized it was a life lesson for me. I tend to dwell on the worst outcomes in life, the thunderstorms. She had at times talked me away from making more out of a situation than it really was. Now I often remember her prayer and say it to myself not just when it is raining gently but when the thunderstorms seem to be approaching in life. It reminds me to be faithful and to trust in God’s care of me no matter what, as she did. It never did rain.
Comments