“If you want the rainbow, you have to deal with the rain.”
I grew up in West Texas, and have lived in Wyoming, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Arizona, so I've seen lots of weird weather. Last week, though, I experienced a weather phenomenom I've never seen before.
My family and I were driving through Canyonlands National Park. (I highly recommend it, by the way. It's beautiful!) It was warm, and the high altitude and dry air made the sunshine feel especially hot, so when a few clouds moved in, it was a relief. On the way out of the park, we hit a few sprinkles. But then, up ahead, there was something white across the road. It looked a little like a fog bank, but this wasn't the sort of country that gets much fog.
A minute later, we drove into a torrential rainshower. It was like driving under a waterfall. One side was barely sprinkling, and a second later, it was pouring rain and soft hail was smashing into the windshield. We were probably in the shower less than five minutes, but according to the dashboard, the air temperature dropped thirty degrees. And then we were out to warm, dry air again.
I think life can be like this. You're tooling along, having a nice life, when something unexpected looms up ahead. Maybe your car is making a funny noise, or you hear a rumor about layoffs where you work, or you have an odd symptom that sends you to the doctor. Before you know it, you're in the middle of the storm, being lashed from all sides. But the only way out is through, and eventually you come out on the other side, stronger and smarter. It may take a lot longer than it took us to drive through that downpour, and you may not come out unscathed, but eventually, you'll make it through the storm.
If you're interested, here are a few more pictures that I posted on my Facebook page.
A reindeer farm without Santa wouldn't be Christmas in Marissa Gray's Alaskan hometown. Luckily Chris Allen's there to pinch-hit, although for Marissa, seeing her ex-fiance again brings back memories of what might have been.Ten years after their breakup, the feelings between the wildlife biologist and blue-eyed fisherman are stronger than ever. Only now there's a foster kid in the mix, as well as the shocking crime that cost Marissa her job and her family's security. She and Chris need to find their way to a meeting of minds and hearts to make this truly a season for second chances...
