Family Matters

It's raining where I am, but I am not where I live.

In fact, it has been raining steadily for several hours now, and it does a soul good. I have not enjoyed a rainy day in, probably, months. Having experienced life in a place where it rains for what seems like months on end, I know for sure I do not enjoy that in the least, but a few hours of good rain every once in a while is wonderful. Let me qualify that. A few hours of good rain every once in a while when I can safely be indoors hearing and seeing the rain through windows is good for the soul. Actually being out in it, for instance while hiking, is not as relaxing.

We must be in a drought here in Texas. Water brings cleansing to the dusty sidewalks, leaves and grass. Rain is hope of refreshment, life, and growth. After a year of dryness, I myself feel like circumstances will change and new opportunities will present themselves. With the hope of a new job, reconnection with old friends, and a peace about issues that seem to be going wrong, maybe I can finally start "growing" again.

This week I am visiting my sister and sweet nephew. A visit here is not necessarily a vacation, but I get to catch up with my sister, help her out around the house, and give her a couple small breaks to do something...anything...without a one-year-old in tow. As the rain comes down outside, a break in the midst of a hot, dry Texas summer, I think maybe this week could be a break just before a bend in the road for me. After I get back to my own "normal" life I should hear something about a job, which will bring plenty of change.

I am thankful for my family and don't get to see them as much as I would like. If posts this week are few and far between, it's just because I'm busy laughing and crying with my sister, making funny noises with my nephew to see his beautiful grin, and washing loads of dishes.