Thanks for the Rain, A Show of Gratitude

It has been raining basically non-stop for three days now. The weather report explained that a tropical wave was passing. It was not the wave that you grab a surfboard for, it was the kind that we usually welcome because it brings much-needed rain for many of our drought thirsty islands. Climate Change has done a number on us. A few years ago, for the first time in my island’s history, we had to put a water rationing programme in place. Many of us were shocked, taken off-guard. We always thought that we had water in abundant supply. Our Amerindian name is Liamuiga, if you please, which means ‘fertile land’. There were always deep, fertile soil to cultivate and regular rain to water our crops. We were blessed on this tiny island. Indeed, we were.

We have been having less and less rain and when it does fall, it comes with such intensity that in many cases, the end result is flooding in some areas and landslides in others. At one point, a multi-million-dollar house slipped along a steep slope causing enough damage to the property to make the insurer's eyes water.

So, as I sit at my bedroom window in the dark, watching the rain fall, the Christmas palms swaying gently in the breeze, the blossoms of the ubiquitous yellow bell shrub dancing and bobbing to the sound of the raindrops, I felt a peace, a calm that I ought not to be feeling given the chaos that seems to be unfolding around us. But it was there nevertheless. It was a deep-seated feeling of well-being and gratitude and a belief that things are unfolding as they should.

The Universe never makes mistakes. When we are faced with troubles, there is a lesson there for growth. When we are faced with moments of joy, there is a lesson there for thanksgiving. We take life as it comes, the good times, the bad times, and those times in between.

We show gratitude.
We accept our blessing with grace.
We say thanks for the rain.