Inspirational Stories ~ The Rainy Day

The Rainy Day

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was about 6 years old, with a smiling face, beautiful wavy red hair, and freckles.

One day, the little girl was shopping with her mother at the local grocery store. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that pours over the top of the gutters, because it has no time to flow down the downspout.

When they finished their shopping, the mother and daughter went outside.

Everyone stood there under the awning, just outside the door of the grocery store, watching the downpour. Everyone waited, some patiently. Others were upset because the rain had ruined their plans.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance everyone was caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain!", she said. "What?" the mother asked.

"Let's go run through the rain!" the little girl said, again.

"I don't think so, Sweety. We'll get drenched. Maybe after it slows down a little", the mother responded.

The little girl waited for another minute and said, "Mom, let's run through the rain!"

"I told you, honey. We'll get drenched if we do", the mother said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the little girl said as she pulled at her mother's sleeve.

"This morning? Did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, "If we can get through this, we can get through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop, if it hadn't been pouring down rain. Everyone stood there, not knowing what to say or do. The rain was coming down so hard, nobody came or left for several minutes.

The mother thought for a moment about what she would say. She knew that how she responded would impact her little girl for some time. She knew she had an opportunity to help her child to believe in the magic of life.

"Baby, you're right. We should go, now. Let's run through the rain. And if we get wet, well, we just must need washing!", the mother said.

So, off they ran, laughing, through the pouring rain, through the parking lot, to the family car. They got soaked, but then, a funny thing happened.

Others began to run through the rain, as well, laughing and squealing like small children as they splashed through the puddles, finding their way to their cars. They all got soaked, but it was more fun than any of them had had in years.

~ Take Away ~

Circumstances, or people, may take away your money or your stuff. They may even take away your health. But no one else can ever take away your ability to find the joy in life, especially when life feels difficult. Only you can do that.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain"