RAIN

Finally, when our hopes had diminished and we were well into crisis mode, the rain came. At first it was hard to believe. So often we had been disappointed. Clouds can look so full of promise, and yet a few scattered raindrops only serve to accentuate the desperate need for moisture. This time, though, the rain came hard, a real downpour, blown in by wind from the west. I stopped what I was doing. Nothing mattered as much as witnessing this event. I went out onto the south porch and created a little nest from which to watch. The rain drenched me to the skin, and still I sat there, giving thanks to the universe.

I hope you can see the raindrops on the leaves in the pictures above. At the time, it seemed a miracle, the dust all washed away and the plants reaching up in gratitude, or so it seemed. Still, of course, it was too late for many things. Whole crops had died or been stunted, and the fate of long-living friends like the trees was still in question. One rain would not be enough. But it was a start.

And then it rained again, and later again. The ground is still dry if you dig down several inches, but shallow-rooted things are in a rush to catch up. Lawns are green again. Perennials whose growth died early are now making a come-back. Nature is rebounding and it is even easy to occasionally forget that our earth at this local level went through a crisis so recently. Nature is showing her resiliency, and it is inspiring. But she needs increasing resiliency these days of climate change and ecosystem destruction. She needs all the support she can get.