We Must Endure the Rain

{From the Desk of Shannon Elizabeth}

We were completely unprepared for the rain today. But that seems to be life at times, right? Often times our gloomiest of days roll in over heads with little to no warning and all of a sudden we're left to sink or swim. Most of the time we are prepared for bad weather by keeping an umbrella thrown on the bottom of the car floor or a pair of rain boots by the front door so we can quickly slip into them without even having to worry about  "ruining" a cute outfit because {luckily for us} Hunter made them the latest fashion statement.

But today we were left without the luxury of our typical rain accessories because neither of us bothered to check the forecast. It wasn't until we were halfway out the door we received an email from the client we were on our way to meet to "drive safely" because a bad storm was fast approaching. No time to turn back but how sweet it was to read the concerns from someone we had yet to meet in person. Little did we know, that statement would have even more meaning after our meeting.

So there we were enjoying our toasted bagels & fancy lattes & green teas when she decided to share a story that still weighs heavy on her heart. And we were quickly reminded that life is too short. Tomorrow is never guaranteed & we did everything we could to fight back the tears & reach across the table to hug one another. To hug her.

And that seems to be life. People are taken away from us, obstacles are laid before us, bad weather sets in & we are left to deal. No fair warnings. No heads up. Only the family & friends around us. Only our own will.

But that's what makes us stronger. That's what brings us together. It's what molds us. It's what defines us.

It's not always easy to come up with the right words to say to someone who has or is enduring the rain {even when we can relate & especially when we can't}.

But there is one thing we do know. Life does not provide us the option to choose the weather for the day or even our current season. However, we can rest easy in knowing we will never be given more than we can handle. And so we know, we must endure the rain for it is the rain that makes the flowers grow.

It's the rain that allows us to fully {bloom}.