It’s been a full week, Journeyer, and this weekend finds Warren and me on the road, again.

Parent’s Weekend gave us a good excuse to visit our last little birdie to leave the nest…a trip that gave me opportunity (and akin to permission) to hug my boy and see with my own eyes that he is indeed eating and keeping hydrated.

It gave him a chance to show his parents up in games of ping pong and billiards.

The darkness of last week’s Super Moon seemed to be befitting of the mood and manifestations that colored my days…

This week’s movements are indicative of the inevitable truth that there is always light on the other side of darkness.

Whereas as last week was brutally hot, this week’s winds have pushed the hot weather up and out away from my little town…

The rains that blew in to the northeast are a welcome sight for the bone dry creek beds that normally glisten along my early dawn commute…

I’ve no idea where our umbrellas have disappeared to, which meant I walked to and from work in the rain. One morning I found myself grumbling about the steady drizzle that dripped raindrops onto my exposed body.

You know the adage “Change your thoughts and you change your world?”

I didn’t like the negative ruminations running through me, so I thought about the doe and her fawns I often see drinking from those sparkling waters.

And I smiled.

Later that day, as I made yet another walk in the wet, I remembered a post I saw many moons ago. It was a social media recording of Fave and Squirrel dancing in the rain.

And I smiled.

Yesterday, as a stiff cold breeze blew threw my coat, sending shivers up and down my spine, I spotted this float…

And I smiled.

We shopped at two local stores where I found a number of gifts for friends, family, and yes, a little something-something for myself, too.

These inspirational lawn stones…

These American flag scarves will be perfect for the crew of us heading to cheer Fave on at the upcoming World Weightlifting Championships!

Isn’t it beautiful how the upturn of our lips can carry those blues up, up and away…

Those earlier wet events made me think of that song, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. The lyrics are so true, Journeyer, as much as we might like, we’ll never stop the rain by complaining, so why not accept that what we have might not be worse than the alternative.

In the past decade I’ve listened to two different family members, people who live on opposite sides of the country, complain about ongoing water shortages and the hardships that accompany a drought.

I remember the weeks before Warren and I married. Torrential, daily rains left our field, the site for our outdoor wedding so soggy that the tents couldn’t be installed. On the eve of what was to be one of the most important days of our lives, thunder rattled our window panes as water pelted the glass and lightning lit up the skies outside…

We ended up moving the ceremony to our front yard, the only accessible, firm plot of land on our sixty-acre plot. I remember rising with the sun to stare up at the heavens. Pushing its way through the dark clouds was a patch of clear sky that stayed with us the rest of the day, the rain and clouds drifting off to nurture parched lands and, alas, to test someone else’s spirits…

Speaking of the heavens above, this glorious morning sky greeted me as I stepped out of my car one morning.

As Warren and I now make our way back to our beautiful, empty nest, the sun sits high in a bright blue sky filled with wispy white clouds.

Speaking of songs, music always tops my happy list and this past week I couldn’t resist cranking up the TV volume when Tears for Fears hit Shout came on.

Raindrops and tears come and go, Journeyer, but if we’re open to the possibility and keep our eyes peeled on the promise, it’s never very long before happiness steps up to greet us…

How I love that beautiful reality…

What about you, Journeyer, what moments stepped up to meet you on your week’s path? Share them here and share a little joy!

Until we meet again, yours in hope, healing, and happiness,