love in the parking lot...

Parking lot love.

No, not as in "parking"....

Just a bit of love I found today in the parking lot at the bank. It was pouring down rain (which, by the way, I LOVE!), and I was hurrying into the bank when I spotted this lying on the rain-soaked pavement:


...and me without my camera!! :)

So, when I came back out of the bank, I grabbed my handy cell phone and snapped these wet photos of a wonderful bit of love! (I'm sure the folks in the parking lot were wondering what in the heck the crazy chick was photographing on the pavement in the pouring rain!! but some things just MUST be done!)

Last time, it was aluminum foil... this time a wet towel (or a wet blanket??)...

May we continue to see God's love in our daily lives...
And may we stop and give Him thanks...
even when it's raining...

let it rain!

Today it rained!!

In Southern California, that's not a common occurrence, but most times it is a very welcome one. It seems we are always in a drought anymore...never seeming to get quite enough rain...lakes and rivers and reservoirs growing ever lower.

We need the rain for drinking and for crops--for sustenance.

We need the rain for cleansing--for washing away the dirt and grime that builds up on everything.

We need the rain for growth-- for new life and renewed life.

Whenever we get a good cleansing, drenching, thirst-quenching rain, I think of how we need God in such a similar way...to pour out Himself upon us like the rain pours from the clouds. In much the same way that the land thirsts for the rain, our souls thirst for the rain of God... and for the same reasons-- for sustenance, for cleansing, for growth... for LIFE.

Lord, pour upon us this day...

Wash us clean.

Quench our thirst.

Help us to grow.

Give us LIFE...

We are grateful for Your rain...

glorious spring day in Chicago!

This day in Chicago was a delightful Midwest spring day, and I was loving it!! It was cold, wet, soggy, and rainy!
When I was working in my hotel room, I had the curtains WIDE open--terribly gloomy grey sky, rain, and beautifully brilliant spring-green trees!

Look at all that wonderful green!!

...and at that wet, rainy-day parking lot...

This was the tree straight down from my 5th floor balcony...

...and look! it's even in bloom!

(a far different bloom from the purple jacarandas at home, but such a lovely spring green)

This was my favorite shot, though... the wet black asphalt, the pretty green leaves of the tree, the dark brown tree trunk, the puddles along the curb, and the delightful reflection of the tree on the pavement...

Spring in the Midwest...

GLORIOUS!!

(eat your heart out, southern CA!) :)

birds of paradise...

One rainy day recently, when there was a break in the rain, I went outside and captured the beautiful colors and textures of some birds of paradise...

I love the way God uses the amazing contrast of complementary colors...

...and light... ...and shape...

...drenched in rainy-day beauty...

Thank You, God, for such loveliness in our every day...

clouds out the window...

I have discovered that there is one distinct disadvantage of taking a roadtrip by oneself when one is constantly seeing things outside the car that simply shout to be photographed... well, one cannot take the photographs! or, can one??

Please, please do not tell the California Highway Patrol, but I could not resist!! After driving nearly three hours in driving rain (ha!), I drove out of the rain...and into such a beautiful blue sky filled with the most lovely clouds that I could not contain myself!


And so, I learned to take one-handed-out-the-right-hand-passenger-window-over-the-shoulder photos...
...here are a few of the cloud shots I was able to capture, shall we say "sight unseen?"

It was actually a great adventure in photography, as I had no real idea what I may or may not be capturing. I had fun later that night looking to see what, if anything, I had actually photographed. I got several good shots and even a couple of surprises... but those are for another day! : )

Edited 2/21 - please note, as I have received comments of folks concerned for my safety (and probably the safety of others) my eyes were on the road in front of me--only my right hand was playing while i was driving! That was why I had no real idea WHAT I was photographing! : ) (as could be verified by the majority of photos being of the door of my car or of completely uninteresting sky!) These were just some which actually turned out ot be cool! Fear not! I was being safe ... probably FAR more than most folks talking on the phone while driving!!

you gotta have the rain...

We here in Southern California were treated to rain and gloom off and on for the past four days. It hasn't been the usual sunny and warm weather people are used to, and you should hear the grumbling and complaining that starts after about one full day of rain. One would think we were living in the continual rain of Seattle or in the ice-covered states back east!

Southern Californians will put up with about 24 hours of rain--after all, we have been in a bit of a drought cycle for the past few years, the reservoirs and lakes are dreadfully low, and the brown hills of winter show our lack of precipitation. So, OK, we will take a little bit of it. But, after 24 hours, oh my! The complaining begins.

As for me, well, I love the rain! I love the black clouds! And if I were to hear a peal of thunder or the crisp crackle of lightening, I would do a little dance of joy! I just love "weather." (and, yes, I really like wind and storms...not sure what that says about my personality! I think it's the intensity I love.)

Over the past couple of days, I've pondered the rain and how it is like the times of gloom or stormy weather in our lives--those rough patches, trials, times when the sun is not shining in our personal worlds. It's very similar. Give me a few days of difficulty, and I can "hang with it." Give me a few weeks of it, and I'm grumbling. Give me a longer trial, and I'm questioning, throwing out the "why?"s, and finding it hard not to ask God what He could possibly be thinking!

And yet, what did we see and experience today AFTER the gloom and as a result of the rain?

• the beauty of the snow on the distant mountains--through the removal of the smog cluttering up the airspace, previously blocking our vision of the beauty before us
• clean, sparkling trees and buildings--through the washing away of the accumulated dirt and silt
• water!! so very necessary for life and so hard to come by sometimes!
• and, in the very near future, green grass growing where the winter brown is currently reigning.

Similarly, what do we see and experience in our lives AFTER the gloom and as a result of the stormy times?

• clarity of vision--an ability to see things, issues, people, beauty more clearly and with fresh renewed eyes
• cleansing--a washing away of sinful behaviors, a sloughing off of the things that don't really matter
• water--refreshment, nourishment, a renewed sense of the presence of God in a way that satisfies our thirst
• growth--of character and depth in our relationship with the Lord
• and a deepened sense of appreciation and gratitude for what God has given and how He has been faithful.

Though it may take hard work and perseverance and a real check on our attitudes, we need to learn to accept, and even welcome, the rain in our lives--to be steadfast through the stormy weather, to be grateful for the gloom despite our feelings, and to seek the Son shine when the sun is not shining. For, without the rain, there is much we will miss in our lives.... (and, it is only IN the midst of the rain, with the sun [Son?!] shining through, that we get to see the reminder of God's promises and His faithfulness... the glorious beauty of the rainbow!... you gotta have the rain!)

a moody monday...

These photos are a documentary of what it was like in my little area of the country today... moody. This is the view out my window at work...and a little glimpse of the progression of the weather today.

It briefly began like this...

quickly went to this...
to even darker, more menacing clouds... and back to this...
Now, go back to the top and start over.

Do this about 12 times, and you'll see just what the crazy weather was like today here in Southern California!

And then, the day ended as in the photo below...

followed by a pinkish orange sunset and the most delightfully fluffy pink cotton candy clouds in the south and east. (Unfortunately, I was driving, and when I pulled over to take photos of the clouds, they had lost their pinkness. I have been known to take photos while driving, but I thought I would play it safe and pull over...and missed the shots. You'll have to use your imagination...)

(I think there are some days when my mood changes just as quickly and often as the weather did today!)

the joy of being an adult...

Today was another day of rain. (Have I mentioned that I LOVE the rain?!!?) I watched the rain out my window at work, and I couldn't wait to be off! I couldn't wait to get outside IN the rain--driving in it, walking in it, feeling it beat on my head and run down my face...

Perhaps, it is the Midwest girl in me--missing summer rainstorms and spring showers. Perhaps it is because I live in a state that doesn't differentiate all that much between its seasons. Perhaps, it's just that I love getting outside and playing around when the weather is a bit unfriendly.

I went the store on the way home tonight, and it wasn't raining when I went in. When I came back out, however, it was a downpour! I walked out into it and enjoyed the feel of the rain pouring down upon me. And when I went to get into my car, it was in the middle of a big puddle. I just stepped into it and laughed as my shoes filled and my pants legs got soaked. For some reason, I just find it fun!

Then, because it is southern California, and the streets are not designed with proper rain drainage in mind, there are many streets around my neighborhood that fill up and flood after a day of rain. I made sure to drive (even a bit out of my way) home via those streets so I could plow merrily through them with my Pathfinder and A/T tires! I love how the water splashes all the way over my car as I drive right through those giant puddles! {sigh} Does it get any better than that?! : )

I was reminded of a "poem" I wrote some years back during a rainy period in the town where I used to live. I thought I would share it with you tonight...

The Joy of Adulthood

*

I have discovered once again

one of the true joys of being an adult...

*

It is going out on a rainy evening with a friend,

laughing together at secrets shared,

walking home in the rain

and refusing to use your umbrella,

letting the rain pour down upon you,

soaking you to the skin.

*

It is splashing in all the puddles along the way,

until your feet squish in your shoes,

then running into the house,

and jumping into a hot bath filled with bubbles,

burying yourself in them and staying there

until your toes are unrecognizable pink raisins.

*

It is climbing into soft flannel pajamas and a warm, snuggly bed,

with a hot cup of cocoa and a bedtime story--

no responsibilities, no worries,

no cares of the world...

just listening to the rain on the window

and reveling in the frolic of the evening.

*

Perhaps, after all, one of the true joys of being an adult

Is remembering how to be a child...

* * * * *

And, if it's still raining when I get up tomorrow morning, I think I'll go for a long wet walk...