A little girl had been
shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been
6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced
image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind
of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so
much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow
down the spout. We all stood there under the awning
and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited,
some patiently, others irritated because nature messed
up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall.
I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing
away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running,
splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as
a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. The little
voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we
were all caught in " Mom, let's run through the
rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.
"Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a
bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated:
"Mom, let's run through the rain,"
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said
this morning," the young girl said as she tugged
at her Mom's arm.
This morning? When 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 God can get us
through this, he can get us through anything!"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I promise you,
you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood
silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would
say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being
silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this
was a moment of affirmation in a young child's' life.
A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that
it will bloom into faith..
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through
the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just
needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran. We
all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted
past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held
their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They
got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed
and laughed like children all the way to their cars.
And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material
possessions, they can take away your money, and they
can take away your health. But no one can ever take
away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make
time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday.
To everything there is a season and a time to every
purpose under heaven. I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME
TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but
then an entire life to forget them. Send this to the
people you'll never forget and remember to also send
it to the person who sent it to you. It's a short message
to let them know that you'll never forget them. If you
don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry.
Take the time to live!!!
Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when
you'll need each other -- and don't forget to run in
the rain!
