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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: RAIN (04/18/19)
My decadence, my life chocolate, is the rain. Because I lived much of my young life around the four seasons, I welcome changes in the weather. As a youngster, I splashed in the lake on summer afternoons and then wolfed down potato salad and lemonade with my friends. In autumn mom would rake up piles of leaves for me to jump and romp in. In winter I held my breath as I flew down snowy hills on my flying saucer. In spring I went to the maple sugar farm with dad to buy pure maple syrup for Mom’s pancakes. Seasons were the natural way of life.

But when I moved to a tropical island, it took me years to adjust to the endless sunshine, something most people envy islanders for. I felt guilt for missing the seasons and for complaining about the sameness of sunshine every day. The only real change in the island’s weather was the rain - aside from a hurricane or two. I learned to love the refreshing showers that broke the monotony of the sunny days.

So now, whenever I hear a rain shower I run to the back porch and savor it. I love all its personalities from gentle showers to downpours, even a little drizzle will lift my spirits. I enjoy the slightly cooler air and I love the sounds from little splats to giant roars. I love how it hushes out the noise of traffic or the neighbors. Rarely though, does the rain on the island darken the skies.

In this tropical weather rain usually happens in little pockets rather than being widespread enough to hide the sunshine. Our island micro-climates mean that it may be raining on the mountain, but two miles away on the beach it’s sunny and dry. The sunshine and rain will often share the same sky. Not only does the sun keep shining, it shines through the rain. When this happens the sky shimmers with ribbons of color arching over the sky and cascading down to the earth, creating a beautiful rainbow!

I do miss the four seasons, but I now thoroughly enjoy the island’s random rain showers. And if I were still in the midst of summers, autumns, winters and springs I’d miss all these glorious rainbows! I love how the island sun keeps its sunny disposition and just shines through the showers, glorifying God.

Perhaps we all need to be a bit more tropical when it comes to how we weather life’s downpours. Every time a change comes and threatens to dampen our spirits, we can get all dark about it or we can be like endless sunshine and use the rain to create rainbows instead.

Ezekiel 1:28a (NIRV)
28 The glow around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. That’s what the glory of the LORD looked like.
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This article has been read 594 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Barbara Culler 
04/26/19
You gave such beautiful descriptions! Personally, I would not like to live in a place where it rains all the time. And you in a tropical place- are you concerned Your entry is well done!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/26/19
This is a nice piece. I enjoyed the internal conflict and the natural one. You do a great job of resolving them. Too much of almost anything, even sun can burn. This is a nice take on the topic with a sweet message.
C D Swanson 
04/27/19
I enjoyed this and the messages throughout the piece.
Thank you,
Blessings~
Loni Bowden-Horn 
04/27/19
As my friend used to tell me, "All sunshine makes the desert."

I liked the message to this entry. This piece went full circle.

I believe we need all the seasons to enrich our live. All rain would be dreary.


Well written piece.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
05/04/19
Congratulations on ranking 20 overall. The highest rankings can be found on the message.
Linda Lawrence 
05/10/19
I like this piece. I lived in the Philippines many years ago and could have used your perspective then. It might have made me more appreciative of the tropics. I missed the seasons! Your first sentence hooked me for sure, but honestly, I don't get how rain is you're decadence. Nevertheless I can see why you wanted to use the sentence. Too good to waste:-)