Dancing In The Rain

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, life is about learning to dance in the rain”


I heard through the grapevine today that somebody has been talking about me. They said “Something is wrong with that girl. She is too happy all the time.” I laughed out loud when I heard that. If that’s the worst thing someone can say about me I must be doing something right.

I suspect though that the perception of the person who made that statement is that either I live in total denial of reality, or that nothing ever goes wrong in my life. Neither of the above is correct. The truth of the matter is that I struggle through storms just like everybody else. I stumble and I fall. But I get back up and I keep on going and I keep on smiling. And I keep on trusting God no matter what.

I am learning to dance in the rain. It is all about praising God (even when you don’t feel like it) and believing that good things come to those who love the Lord. It is clinging to the belief that God is in control. It is about stepping out of myself when the winds are swirling around me and reaching out to help somebody else. I was born to dance this way.

What I find is that my own problems seem to pale next to another’s and there is strength to be had in lifting up one another. What goes around comes around. And it all comes back around to living every moment. The bible speaks of it as “redeeming our time.”

Time has become a precious commodity around our home. Johnny began his new chemo last Friday. It is our second line of defense. The side effects are not as powerful as the last chemo so Johnny continues to keep his appetite. But he is weak. His stamina does not last long. His patience is getting a lot shorter. But his faith in God is something he clings to fiercely.

Tonight was a special night for Johnny. Scarlett invited her Daddy out for a special date. She asked me to dress him up fancy in his finest suit. So I pulled out his black Ralph Lauren suit with a shiny silver vest and bow tie to match. I shined up his black shoes and tucked a little scarf in his pocket. He looked so dapper!

Scarlett arrived in a gorgeous formal gown to escort him to his favorite French restaurant for their date. Before they left she gave him a card. She told him that he had been her first love and that he would always be her hero. The card ended with a personal request for a private dance.

She took him into the formal living room where the song “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw began playing and they danced together as if they had all the time in the world. It was truly a “redeeming moment in time” that I will never forget watching. For just a moment it seemed like nothing in the world was wrong. The love between a father and a daughter overshadowed all the storms.

What precious moments in your life have you been putting off until the right moment? I encourage you to seize the moment and “dance in the middle of the storm.” Don’t wait until it passes. Life is too short to wait. There is too much to be missed.

Stop and take stock of what really counts in your life. Do more then tell some one you love them. Show them. Get rid of the busyness and get back to the basics. It might surprise you how much you fill your life with things that just simply do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

Vow tomorrow to start doing the things that really matter. My greatest wish for each of you is to stop and dance……….

Beautiful Blessings,

Rene