Bedraggled...Not Bedazzled

Soaked!

My brother and I decided to go for a short training run tonight.  As we started out, we had a few rain drops.  But by the first mile, it was raining.  By the second mile, it was pouring cats and dogs!  I don't know if I've ever run in the rain where it was raining that hard for that long.

There were literally rivers of water draining off of parking lots onto the sidewalk.  We tried dodging puddles in a futile attempt to keep our shoes dry.  I wasn't too worried until my brother reminded me that wet shoes, socks, and feet could contribute to blisters.  And that's about the last thing that we want a day and a half before the Big Race.  

We ended up doing 5 miles and it may have been the most memorable 5 miler of my life. By the time we rolled in to the hotel at the end of the run, we were soaked.  My brother said that we might as well have jumped in the pool.  He was right.  I think that the fact that we were so wet should therefore qualify as a swim workout too!  :-)

It's supposed to rain tomorrow too and then the storm is supposed to blow itself out leaving clear skies, mild winds, and low humidity for the race on Saturday.  In other words, it should be perfect conditions.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Running in the Rain

Night fell, bringing rain;

Yet I ran--the droplets on

My face gave me chills.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Rainbow Over Our Community This Morning (thanks C.H.!)

I woke up this morning to rain.  But, as I drove the kids to school, I realized that not only had we been blessed with rain (which we so desperately need here in Southern California), but we had been doubly blessed with a beautiful rainbow.  My boys were so excited to see it as we drove down the hill to school.

The picture above was not one that I took.  It was taken by a friend of mine and I snagged it off of his Facebook page.  But I think that it looks awesome!

The rainbow was incredibly bright.  I think it's been a long time since I've seen one so bright.  And, even cooler, was the fact that it was a double rainbow.  If you look closely, you can see the second rainbow to the  left of the main one.  I can't remember the last time that I saw a double rainbow like that.

Later today, as I sat in my office, I heard a huge ruckus on my office window.  I looked out only to see the rain coming down like buckets, even though the sky was sunny.  It was an awesome sight, so I grabbed my camera to snap a picture.

It was coming down so hard that I was reminded of a quote from Saturday Night Live's "Deep Thoughts" with Jack Handy:

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

I've never complained about the rain here in Southern California because we need it so bad.  But today reminded me that not only is the rain necessary--it can be incredibly beautiful.  Sometimes rainy days aren't so bad...Despite what Jack Handy thinks!  ;-)

The rain out my window today

Rain, Rain, Go Away?

The View Right Now

It's raining right now.  Hard.  It's supposed to rain all day today and through the entire weekend.  These aren't the warm, tropical rains of Hawaii.  The rain is cold and wind driven.  It's probably from Alaska--which explains why it's so cold.  When I went outside to take this picture, I was quickly driven back inside.  You can see a spot of rain on the lens in the bottom right hand corner.

It's tempting to complain sometimes about the rain, but I never do.  Southern California is a beautiful place to live, but it is also a desert.  Rain is a precious resource down here and so I am always grateful for it when it comes.

When I was in high school (about 1991?), we were facing a severe drought in our part of Southern California.  Water restrictions were put into effect.  Our stake leaders promised us that if we worked on keeping the Sabbath day holy and fasted for rain, we would be blessed.  I remember they cited this scripture from the Bible:

"Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord."
If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit."
--Leviticus 26:2-4

I think they also reminded us of the story of President Lorenzo Snow who promised the pioneers in St. George that if they paid their tithing, they would receive rain--even though there hadn't been any rain for months.

I remember thinking that it was pretty bold to promise that if we kept the Sabbath Day holy and fasted, we would have rain.  But we did it as a stake.  The results were miraculous.  It seemed like it rained nearly every day for the next month.  We received enough rain so that the drought restrictions did not become necessary.  But it was an important faith-promoting experience for me and for many of the other members of the Stake as well.

So on this St. Patrick's Day, I will be thankful for the rain and enjoy the sound that it makes as it pitter-patters down on the roof and the windows.  I will be grateful for the sense of cleanliness that it brings to the streets and sidewalks.  And I will be grateful that, even though it's raining, the sun will still come out after the storm has passed.  =o)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Back to the Weather

On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island easily in the distance...

I'm no Weatherman, but something tells me that we may have some rain in our Southern California forecast....

November Rain