Singing in the Rain

"Oh no! It looks like rain!" Reid exclaimed, anxiously looking up at the sky from the porch of the vacation cottage his family was renting for spring break. "It sure does," Mom said. "I think we'd better postpone our picnic on the beach until later in the week." "But I want to go swimming!" Reid said. As he spoke, raindrops began to fall, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown. Soon rain was pouring down, and Reid groaned in frustration. "My whole day is ruined," he grumbled.Reid's sister Braelin held a finger to her lips. "Shhh…listen." A clear, pure song came from a treetop. A bird was singing in the rain. "I don't care about a dumb bird singing. The day is ruined!" Reid shot back. "What good is a vacation if you can't do anything?" "Why don't you get out one of your games, Reid? We may as well have some fun in spite of the rain," said Dad. "Fun? Yeah right!" Reid fumed, but he grudgingly went to get a game. Soon he, Braelin, Dad, and Mom were busy playing and laughing. Suddenly Dad looked up at the clock. "Can you believe it's nearly dinnertime? Why don't we roast hot dogs in the fireplace?""We can have a picnic dinner right here," said Mom. "Let's get the fire going and spread a blanket on the floor." As they ate, Braelin grinned. "This is fun, isn't it, Reid?" "It's great!" Reid pushed a gooey toasted marshmallow off his stick onto a graham cracker. "The whole day was so much fun that I forgot about the rain. I've been thinking--that bird had the right idea after all. Sorry I got so upset earlier." "It's okay," said Dad. "It's natural to feel disappointed when plans don't work out. But the rain didn't stop us from enjoying our time together.""That's right," said Mom. "We got to spend this rainy day together, and that brought us joy. That's a good thing to remember whenever we feel sad or disappointed in life. Even when things are hard, Jesus is with us, and we can always find joy in His presence. That bird was a good example for all of us. There's always a reason to sing--even when it rains." -Carolyn E. Yost