On this cloudy, rainy August day, I
thought about the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote, “Into each life, some rain
must fall.” It seems that sometimes the rain falls harder than it does at other
times.
Last year, our Walk to End Alzheimer’s
was during a steady downpour. We had rain at previous walks, but never a
constant deluge like last year. Although the Highway Gardens at the Missouri
State Fairgrounds is a lovely place to hold our walk, the grounds turned into a
mud pit. Tents and tables sank into the mud and turned over. I couldn’t take my
books out of the tubs.
Although, we handled the weather as
well as could be expected, it inspired us to get off our keisters and look
for a location that had some shelter. This year, for the first time, we chose Centennial
Park and a different weekend.
When you hold an annual outdoor
event, it isn’t a matter of if it
will rain on that special day, but when
it will rain. The same holds true for life. Rain happens.
Gully washers happen during our
darkest moments. We hear the rolling thunder and feel sharp pangs of lightning
bolts when they strike our hearts. Clouds seem to hang over our heads blocking
out the sunshine that should warm our souls. Flash floods threaten to wash away
our optimism and feelings of self worth.
Then we have the steady downpours.
Just when we think we’re between showers, it starts up again soaking us to the
bone. Then a cold wind blows away our defenses and we might as well be naked as
wrapped in wet garments. We get to the point where we just can’t take anymore.
At some point, a little droplet of rain can be the tipping point.
During scattered showers, we can dash
from thought to action and never get wet. If all fails, we can throw on a rain
jacket and pop up an umbrella. We know that scattered showers replenish our
spirits and blossoms into a bright array of color. During scattered showers, we
realize that rain is essential to life and that without it, we, and everything
we love, would die. Then the sun breaks through the clouds and we remember that
“a sunshiny shower won’t last half an hour.”
A half hour isn’t long and most of
us can remain optimistic for that length of time. Life is different degrees of
rain, but rain is essential to life.
Copyright © August 2019 by L.S.
Fisher
#ENDALZ
nice article very impressive some poetry is there but very dangerous Alzheimers make individual need of care
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