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Heart! ~ If you are not a subscriber and this has been passed on to you, join us by sending a blank e-mail to four_ears @ msn.com (remove spaces) with "subscribe" in the subject line. And get the love direct! Tour our web site: http://www.geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001 ________________________________________________________ "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." - Lucille Ball ________________________________________________________ Happy birthday to our beautiful niece in Colorado, Lindsay Mathes! Folks, our favorite humorist is back! Thanks, Betty, for this gentle reminder. After reading her story, you'll want to splash in a rain puddle or two! ________________________________________________________ RAINY DAYS Have you ever seen the Midwest after it's been drenched by spring rains? There must be a million shades of green in God's color chart. You have never known true freshness until you breathe in air after God has kissed the land with a soft summer rain. Try wiggling your toes in warm puddles that collect on the hot sidewalk and feel like a child again; and oh, the rainbows He paints can take your breath away. After moving back to our home in Illinois after living in Arizona for a year and a half, I had forgotten what cloud-laden, rainy days were like. I had forgotten to appreciate the cleansing God brought to the Midwest with His down-pouring saturations. As the rains came the sun would be absent for days. I began to complain. "This is depressing," I commented to a friend. "Oh, I kind of like it." Her comment could not be driven from my mind. Why had she said that? What vitamins are found in the clouds? Sunshine is known to drive away the blues and help eliminate depression. Who in their right mind would like cloudy, rainy days? It got me to thinking. I opened my eyes to see what I was missing. What did my friend see that I didn't see? Had I lived in the desert too long? Had the sunshine persuaded me that it was the goddess of happiness? Sometimes we have to give ourselves a talking to. We have to ask God to show us His blessings. We have to look for happiness in things that don't necessarily bring us joy. I had always loved the sunshine. I had never liked the rain - or had I? There was a time before the land of the sun – yes I remember. I did used to like rainy days. So I looked around me. Oh, the beautiful tress, bushes, shrubbery and grass. Everywhere there was green. No wonder green is my favorite color I thought. How could even God make a palette with so many colors of green? Without the rains I would never be blessed with all the spring growth surrounding me in my favorite color. That sound, I had almost forgotten the soothing sound it makes as it hits the window pane and the skylight. It plays a gentle tune on my heart strings and lures me to sleep as it sings its soothing lullaby. Never does sleep seem as restful as when rain rocks us with its gentle rhythm. I remember how those were my favorite days for cleaning out closets and cabinets. When the rains threatened my outside activities, I used those days for task that needed to be done inside. There was something about cleaning to the sound of thunderstorms that made my duties seem enjoyable. I recall how after a summer rain I encouraged my children to shed their shoes and socks and play in the puddles accumulating on the sidewalk. Even I joined in on occasions and I remember how the steam would rise as the cool showers met the hot summer concrete. Nothing felt better to bare feet. Simple things brought us joy back then; back before hot tubs and in-ground swimming pools. I still remember swinging with the kids on the porch swing. We watched the rain come down in sheets. I can still hear them giggle as they splashed and splattered in the puddles after the showers had ceased. As you pull in a deep breath after God washes His creation, there is nothing like the aroma of freshness that one of God's showers provides here in the Midwest. After spending nearly two years in the dry, sunny desert, I am once again learning to appreciate God's rainy days here in the Midwest. After all, water is one of His greatest gifts. Over half of our bodies are made up of water. Next to air, water is our most immediate need, and without it we could only survive approximately 72 hours. I have a new-found appreciation for the rain God sends. He loved me enough to make up my body of over half of this special ingredient. The least I can do is enjoy the rain when He sends it. Betty King baking2 @ charter.net Copyright © May 8, 2002 by Betty King. All rights reserved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the author: Betty King is a Heartwarmers Gem and Writer of the Month at 2TheHeart. She and her husband Bill live in Illinois. Betty King now lives back in a small town in the Midwest. She writes of funny and serious things that cross her path. She prefers to smile instead of frown, laugh instead of cry, but enjoys all the emotions of life! _________________________________________________________ QUOTES FROM LESSER KNOWN PEOPLE Stir-Fry Stories Four-year-old Matthew scowled at the stir-fry in front of him. "Eat, Matthew," I prodded him. "Put as much as you can on your spoon and eat." He carefully piled broccoli, carrot, chicken, and rice on his spoon. "Look, Mom!" he said. "I made my own recipe!" - Jennifer Oliver One time I made a stir-fry with meager portions of pork in it. When I served it to my daughter, Robbi, I warned her that there was very little pork in it. In inimitable Robbi fashion, she replied, "You mean there's just an oink-oink here and an oink-oink there?" - Kim Beeson _________________________________________________________ FAMILY LOVE MOMENT "Ethan, we're running late!" Six-year-old Ethan was in summer school, and we were running late. I did a mad dash through his hair with a comb, scrambled around for his book-bag, and told him to get in the car. He ran ahead of me as I returned to the house to fetch my lunch. I finally got in behind the wheel and sighed. "These are for you, Mom," Ethan said, holding out a fistful of purple wildflowers. "Mommy flowers!" Mommy flowers. The perfect antidote to mayhem. Along with a great big hug. I got many compliments that day in the office on my special "Mommy flowers" bouquet. _________________________________________________________ LOVE, JENNIFER I. OLIVER AND FAMILY four_ears @ msn.com "To live that in thy last long sleep, Smiles my be thine wile all around thee weep." - Nellie L. Wallace, June 24, 1873 _________________________________________________________ This E-mail may be forwarded in its entirety, but first ask the writer for permission before forwarding. Thank you for doing the decent thing! Ü ________________________________________________________ SUBMIT STORY, QUOTE, OR FAMILY LOVE MOMENT: http://www.geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001/submission.htm FEEDBACK: four_ears @ msn.com ________________________________________________________ |
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