My walk this morning has been preempted by the rain – three solid hours of it.  And, I’m not talking about the misty, delicate, light rain of the Northwest.  This is real rain with a beat, a rhythm, a cadence, and real volume running down the streets and sidewalks.

The temps are still very mild and I have all the windows open so the sound of the rain is overwhelming.  I’m reminded of a story a friend told me years ago.  She said when she was a little girl she had a teacher (a religious Sister) who had once stopped the class in the middle of the lesson because it had begun to rain.  Sister asked the students to put their books away and lay their heads down on the desk and just listen to the rain.

What a beautiful grace-filled lesson!  And my friend never forgot it.  Years after I learned of that story, I met this Sister and she became my Spiritual Director for a time.  She was filled with great spiritual wisdom and deep and beautiful suggestions for how to recognize, see, listen and talk to God.  And, I have never forgotten her.  I think of her often, but especially whenever the rains pour down so steadily that I can think of little else.

Who are the people who have taught you to recognize, see, listen and talk to God?  Say a prayer of thanks for the grace of their presence in your life.  And let the rain continue to dance and sing.