Waiting for the Sunshine after the Rain

"Into each life 

some rain 

must fall." 

Did you know that line was from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? I didn't. (Google is an amazing thing, isn't it?) I was just pondering the issues I'm having with water lately, and the quote popped into my head, so I decided to find out the source. Thanks, Henry!

Before we moved back to our little house, I knew that the kitchen faucet was faulty. I just didn't realize how serious the problem was until I was there with the contractors, and one of them turned the water on to clean something up, and the faucet blew off of the sink, and a geyser sprayed the ceiling and cabinets, raining down onto the floor. 

Two weeks later, my son replaced the faucet, and I was most grateful not to have to keep reminding ourselves to "only use a trickle!" Running water is such a basic necessity that I had taken for granted for too long.

Whenever we showered, we found ourselves standing in a tub full of water. Washing our hands in the tiny bathroom sink found the water rising near the overflow hole very quickly. Yesterday my plumber fixed both of those problems with his highly recommended product called simply, "Thrift." (Think: Drano.) Drains that drain properly were a given in my life, and now that mine do that, I am most grateful.

There have been so many gifts, spiritual and physical, that I have received lately. I have been at peace, sleeping easily until an acceptable morning hour, which I was beginning to doubt would ever happen again. My breathing and heart rate seem to be calm now that I'm in my own home. Friends and family have seen to it that we have the things we need for our house. I have been given a lawn mower, a vacuum, furniture, and a dishwasher.

Hmm...the dishwasher. In keeping with my water woes of late, it did not disappoint. If the pattern is to continue, I must first contend with the leaks so that I can appreciate the joys of having a functioning dishwasher, right? 

Yesterday afternoon, before my plumber left, he told me to keep an eye on it to make sure it was sealing properly, and that the hose connections were secure. I listened happily from the living room to the quiet hum of my appliance as the water swished around in my "new" dishwasher. 

All was well until Bridger and his friend were dishing up their dinner, and I heard, "It's all wet."

"WHAT?"

"It's all wet." Sometimes he doesn't realize it's not my hearing disability that causes me to say that. I needed details, and my heart was racing, in the hopes it didn't mean what I thought it did. Unfortunately, it did. The dishwasher had leaked out from under...getting the new molding and subfloor wet.

Now I wait. My plumber is coming in just a bit, and I have every confidence that I will have a fully-functioning dishwasher when he leaves. As long as the pattern continues, these minor setbacks just make me appreciate each thing that works the way it should. 

There is always sunshine after the rain. Good things are coming; I just know it! 

For your reading pleasure, I have included Mr. Longfellow's poem, "The Rainy Day." Enjoy!

The Rainy Day

Ballads and Other Poems 1842

• Blind Bartimeus
• Endymion
• Excelsior
• It Is Not Always May
• Maidenhood
• The Goblet of Life
• The Rainy Day
• The Skeleton in Armor
• The Village Blacksmith
• The Wreck of the Hesperus
• To the River Charles

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.