Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

My husband and my son are two of the only people I know who truly rejoice and find the sunshine in a rainy day.

In college, before Jeff and I had started dating but when we were close friends, I was lamenting about yet another rainy, dreary, chilly spring day. My mood always seems to be affected by gloomy weather, and that day was no exception. He and I were walking through campus in the drizzle; I was complaining bitterly about the rain. Jeff stopped in his tracks, looked at me and said, "Today's a great day if you're a plant." I'll never forget that attitude, that perspective, that moment when I realized Jeff has a gift for seeing the bright side of a gloomy day.

Fast forward 8 years or so and I find myself in another rainy, dreary, chilly spring day. I am especially grouchy because it is a Saturday, a day that is notorious because of the promise of fun and adventure it holds. It's supposed to be warm, it's supposed to be sunny, why can't the weather cooperate for once? Aidan, on the other hand, is dancing in his pants from excitement. "I get to wear my yellow rain coat today! And my frog boots! And can we go look for worms? And can we make a worm house for them? And it is so good that it is raining because it makes the plants so happy."

And so they set out, Jeff, Aidan, and Leo, outfitted in their brightest rain gear for an hour's worth of worm collecting and rain exploring. Leo did not seem to mind if his "worm" was actually a "stick;" both boys thought that maybe some careful tending could revive a dead worm; and all three of them returned from their expedition rosy-cheeked and exhilirated from their time in the rain. Aidan collected coffee grounds and orange peels for his worms and insisted we bring them to Grandma and Grandpa's house to show them off. Leo demonstrated for me how he held the worm in his hand and proclaimed, "Ew. Dirty!" And Jeff passed on to them tangible evidence, proof that there is sunshine and happiness in a dreary and wet day. (As for me, well.... I still hate the rain. But I saw the sunshine that day, seeing my sons... positively shining in their happiness.)