I guess it is pretty much thunder storm season around here. The weather the past couple of weeks has been a bit less than ideal. The temperature has been in the upper 70s mostly, which isn't bad until you take into account the severe humidity that accompanies it. I don't love humidity, but I do love the sun so I am willing to make some sacrifices (including dealing with humidity) as long as the sun is shining. The problem is, it has been overcast and stormy and humid, although it does sometimes clear up nicely in the afternoon.
Anyway, the other day I was blessed with a reminder of the lovely innocence of children and the joy of raising them. Don't you love how small children are fascinated with things that we completely take for granted?
We stayed home from church on Sunday and spent the day just hanging out in the house trying to help Madeline feel better (which she is now, mostly). A storm had been brewing all day and it finally materialized in the evening, a bit before Madeline's bedtime. She has never been one to be afraid of loud noises, and we have had several thunderstorms here, but for some reason this thunder kind of scared her. She came to me a bit fearful and crying, so I just showed her that thunderstorms can be awesome, and when you are inside there is nothing to worry about. The rain was absolutely pouring down; this was one of those storms that really was fun to watch. We went into my bedroom where I have tall windows facing out to the street. I pulled up the blinds so she could see all the rain coming down. She loved it! We must have sat on my bed for 20 minutes or more, which in toddler time is about an hour, just watching the rain come down and splash all over the streets and sidewalks. Occasionally a car would drive by with the wipers going full speed and Madeline would gleefully announce its presence. The thunder was in full force, and each time it rang out Madeline would turn to me with wide twinkling eyes and her mouth open in amazement. She continued to marvel at the amount of water collecting on the street. At one point she even put her arm around me like I so often do to her when we sit next to each other. Her little arm didn't make it all the way across my back, but it was the most precious gesture. This was one of those times I just want to capture forever in my memory. I thank God for blessing me with such a choice daughter to raise, and pray that we can continue to learn from each other and share all the small wonders of this world.
