Ahhhh….rain, rain, rain. I am a Pacific Northwest girl…born and raised. I’ve been to many other states, including a four-year stint in Thornton, Colorado. But here in the PNW…I’m home. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked by others throughout my travels, “Doesn’t it rain there all the time?” To which I answer “Yes” – my underlining goal is to keep the population down…lol. Sometimes I will end my response by letting the person know it’s more of a drizzle than rain. Either way, I figure most people aren’t into the gray and will think twice about packing up and moving to our mossy green area.
For me the rain is refreshing. It cleans the air and keeps the moisture at a comfortable level. I love the humidity we have, and so does my skin. I don’t snap, crackle, and pop every time I touch a piece of metal…or my husband for that matter. Fortunately, that only happens now and then, since we touch hands every time he walks past me if I’m sitting in my favorite chair. Living in Colorado, I had to use a humidifier because it was so dry. I was worried I was going to destroy my computer every time I used it. Let’s not forget the little fact that the little snap of electricity actually hurts.
Today as I sit here writing this blog the sky is not completely gray. There is a bit of sun trying hard to peak out. The rain from last night all but forgotten as a new day arrives. Will it rain sometime today, probably, but will it bring with it a fresher air…you bet. And let’s not forget that spring is around the corner bringing all those beautiful blossoms. Before we know it there will be an array of flowers, the rain will begin to choose its days a bit more sparsely, and the sun will greet us more often…sometimes for days at a time.
I do get weary of the rain, but that is life in the PNW. When the sun does shine, you will see an extra dose of smiles as you walk through the grocery store, or venture out to a park. No one here takes the sun for granted. But we also do not plan too many birthday parties or other social events outside in case Mother Nature has a surprise up her sleeve. Camping is as popular here as anywhere…and even I shake my head at my own decision to pitch a tent now and then. But we try regardless. Maybe because the fresh air calls us, or perhaps because a few days of the sun shining gave us a false sense of security.
Regardless of our journey in the PNW, we all look forward to the sun while we tough it out through the, what at times feels endless, rain. Why? Because we know it won’t last forever, and the sun will shine again in our Emerald City.
I had planned to blog about writing today but changed my mind…sort of. I am still talking about writing. Just not exclusively mine.
Over the years my mind and heart have started understanding my parents. Both passed away long before I was able to sit down and visit adult to adult. We had a tough childhood, and though I never stopped loving them, I was angry for many years. I wrote my heart out, my anger out, and my pain out. As I got older, I learned to forgive them, but that isn’t where it ends.
One day I received a folder from my sister that contained many of my mother’s poems. I knew my mother wrote poetry but had not seen them until that day. I sat down on the couch and began to read her heart, mind, and soul in those pages. I saw my father as a man my mother loved so deeply.
Through every tear I shed, I began to understand her not as my parent, but as a person. It was if I had stepped outside the box and was watching her life unfold…completely disconnected. With this view, I changed my perspective. I cried for my parents, and for me, but I also learned to love them more. I felt their hearts through my discovery.
I was able to capture who she was through her words. Now looking back at a young woman, divorced, 36 years old with six little girls attached to her…I felt her fear. I was able to see her for the life she had, not the life she should have had…and I felt her broken heart through my discovery.
It is knowing my parent’s story that helped see them as individuals. It was reading my mother’s writings that taught me a part of her I hadn’t been able to see before…I was clouded by my own needs, my own anger, my own sadness.
If nothing else, here is what I hope you get from this blog – to look at your parents. Now step away and really look at them. See them as the person they are, not who they are to you, but who they are to themselves. How did they become the person they are today? If they are no longer living, still do this. Then write about them…write their story.
“Watching Over Her” is hot off the press. This is our story…a story of love, pain, death, and renewed life. Including paranormal activity.
I have a few copies if you want to purchase a signed copy, or you’ll find the link below to purchase your copy from Amazon.
Here is the link to purchase your copy on Amazon –