Rain

It’s raining today. It feels good.

It has been very hot and humid lately, only threatening to rain during the day with an occasional shower at night. Sometimes, I just feel like I need a rainy day. It relieves me of my “responsibilities” to work in the yard and be productive. It gives me a day off to relax and think.

We’ve had a lot to think about lately. My Dad discovered he had all five major arteries to his heart blocked anywhere from 90 to 100%. This caused damage to his mitral valve.

All week, I felt like it should be raining.

At 79 it could have been the end. But Dad is tough. He survived the South Pacific in WWII. This wasn’t going to bring him down.

One full week of tests and waiting for surgery culminated with 5 hours of surgery. It’s been almost two full days since the surgery was completed. He had a minor bout with his blood pressure, but in general he is cruising to a renewed life of energy and life.

We go though life thinking that “things” will always be the same. Then one day, something dramatic happens and you realize that anyone of us could experience anything at anytime that could change our patterns of life forever. This was one of those experiences. The thought of losing my Dad had me terrified.

I took inventory of all the things he has meant to me. He taught me how to fix things around the house. He taught me how to work. He taught me how to have a sense of humor. He taught me how to be a husband, and how to be a father. As he ages and talks more about his WWII experiences, he has taught me about bravery, sacrifice, honor, and faith. I doubt that he realizes this because he is not a man of ego.

As I visited him in the hospital yesterday, I told him he was my hero. He just smiled through his pain and looked a little embarrassed at the possibility that he could be a hero. But as I watched him face this difficult surgery and begin his recovery, he demonstrates once again just how tough he is. No complaints, just determination to get through it and not inconvenience anyone while he does.

It’s raining today. The sky is dark and there is the ominous sound of thunder. At some moments it is so dark it seems like the Sun is gone forever. The thunder is deafening and sounds treacherous. Finding out that you or a loved one is seriously ill is kind of like that. Everything sounds scary and treacherous. The world becomes tenuous. At moments you feel like the Sun has disappeared forever. The rain comes, harder at some times than others. Then after a time, the rain stops, the thunder ends, and Sun returns. The effects on the Earth are immediately apparent. The grass has grown; the garden shows immediate signs of increased yield. The pond looks refreshed and clean. The air smells clean again, and we have all been refreshed and restored.

It’s raining today. It feels good.