Sun and rain

A flower needs both sun and rain to bloom.

In these parts we are almost ready to wear snorkels to go outside this week! We're definitely getting the rain, but the sun - not so much.

It can be easy to think that the best life is full of sunshine. Having lived in a drought-ridden country, I know what damage months with no rain can do. The ground becomes parched and plants wilt or die. The whole place looks brown and crispy. But as soon as there is a little rain, the plants perk up, flowers bloom, and the whole place greens up again.

It makes me realise that those occurrences that can feel less than ideal - like days of rain in the middle of summer - actually help us to become fruitful. As my husband has preached on occasion - if people are throwing crap into your life, perhaps it's time to stop trying to throw it out again and dig it in instead. Those trees that are not blown about by the wind don't develop strength. When the hurricane comes, they are easily uprooted.

So embrace the hard stuff, the inconvenient stuff, to truly flourish.