Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Headed to Sanibel Island with Robert and Joan

I remember one particular summer day that began bright and sunny, but muggy and uncomfortable. The weatherman predicted storms, but when we looked outside, it was hard to believe it would happen. But that was the way weather was in South Florida…..glorious one minute and storming the next.  By 3o’clock in the afternoon things had changed drastically. The air was so humid you felt you would drown just walking through it. The sky in the West was turning ugly. Huge dark clouds were rolling in and soon the sun was totally obliterated. It was almost as dark as night, but it was late afternoon. Suddenly the clouds burst and huge drops of rain began to fall. Lightening flashed through the heavens and the house seemed to vibrate with each crash of thunder. The rain was so heavy you couldn’t see the house across the road. Rivers of water ran down our driveway into the street causing the storm drains to back up. There was a loud crack and our power went off. Oh well, no more electricity for awhile(this was before the computer era). We sat in darkness waiting for the storm to pass over. Little by little the rain began to let up, the clouds lightened and the sun came out, it’s rays glistening in the light rain that still fell. “Look! Over the house across the street. Do you see it?” Sure enough, there it was…a rainbow. We went outside, standing in the drizzle to see it better. As we watched the colors became brighter and brighter. It was beautiful. Then just as we thought it couldn’t get any better, a second rainbow appeared over the first gradually darkening in color like the first. I remember a sense of well being flooding over me. Everything was going to be alright now. We had God’s promise and it was good.

Rainbow around Central Florida headed home - same trip

 

 

Rainbow from Ramona's lake house

 

I am sure each one of you probably has a similar story somewhere in your memories. To this day I look for a rainbow whenever it is raining and the sun is shining. There is a sense of comfort for me just in seeing it. I get so excited when....I gasp...."there it is", that beautiful arch across the sky. It seems to have no beginning, no end. It just is. it always makes me want to break out my best Judy Garland rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  I know for a fact that if you try to go find the end of the rainbow, no matter how far you travel, you will have to keep going. The end will never appear.  The rainbow for me will forever be a sign of hope. We see them everywhere and always in conjunction with a promise. That’s what the rainbow is, a promise, a reminder between God and man(me) forever!  I leave you, my friends, with one of my favorite Irish blessings.