my article for friday's local paper

As I write this there is a wonderful rain falling outside. Having moved here from the desert of Southern California, I have missed the warm rain that needs no raincoat but invites one to walk with head uncovered and feet bare. There the rain comes only in the middle of the winter and is punishing and biting and merely quenches the parched land. Here the rain is regular and warm, caressing the skin and hair as it falls to the already green earth where worms don’t commit nearly as drastic a suicide on nearby pavement.

Sunday our youth were asked why God created. Why God created water was difficult to answer. We depend so much on this simple H2O that we have a hard time recognizing it’s necessity for life. Glasses of water, rain, ice cubes, long walks on the beach and umbrellas are second nature to us for we can not fathom existence without water.

So when the rain pours down again, I invite you to feel the restoring water bring life back into what is parched in you. When you drink a glass of water, feel this basic element of life renewing and strengthening you. When chewing on an ice cube may you have company in the harsh points in life. And next time it rains, may you know the sheer joy of jumping in puddles and then falling asleep to the gentle, rhythmic sounds of the pitter-patter of God’s everlasting love falling around you.