Look a Little Deeper

Sometimes we miss really amazing things when we don't take the time to look a little deeper at everyday things . . .past the surface.  This blog is going to be for just that.  I love life.  I try to embrace life to it's fullest.  I hope I live to be at least 100 just so I can have a birthday cake with 100 candles on it.  For me, it's the little things that have taught me so many lessons and bring me such delight, so for my first post it only seems natural to share about looking past the rain and into the puddles.  It was one of my earliest childhood memories but one of the most cherished memories. . . hence the name for my blog. "Mud Puddles"


My mom was a natural "take a deeper look" type of person.  She didn't have to make it happen, it was just who she was.  I think her natural ability to look for simple joys in life may have been born out of need but she would tell you it's just how she was made.  Money was scarce all her life, but in her words. . ."I have never been poor! I may of had needs, but have never been poor a day in my life". Life just never seemed to get her down, or when it did, we rarely saw a glimpse of it.  She was too busy looking past the needs, finding the joy.


Rain is one of those joys of life. I LOVE rain. It makes me feel closer to my spiritual roots and evokes a satisfied, melancholy mood in me like nothing else can do.  A soft rain makes me feel calm, settled and peace filled. I watch the weather report in hopes of unexpected showers, everyday. Funny, considering I live in the desert, not a rainy climate. . . .but I'm the eternal optimist.  If there's a cloud, there's always a chance of rain. . . right?  Remember Elijah and that tiny little rain cloud. . .no. . . .go to 1 Kings 18:41-45 and read. Yup, that's my kind of optimism.


Perhaps that's one of the reasons I wait for rain with great expectations. . .it's rare here in the desert so I never take it for granted, not one single drop.  I think I've loved rain all my life and I'm equally sure my Mom passed that love down to me. When I was a little girl I can remember running to the screen door at the first smell of rain in the distance. Mom always said "I smell rain a comin".


We lived in an old faded paint, little square house that was owned by a big dairy.  My dad worked on their tractors and they in turn, allowed us to live in The Dairy House for a very modest rent of $75.00 per month. Our house had a small covered porch on the front.  We could enjoy the rain without getting soaked.  My sisters, and I would lay on our bellies and watch the puddles rise. Mom would be there, right in the middle of us, watching and waiting.  Waiting for what...the rain babies of course. Muddy little rain babies that only came to visit when the hard rains came. These special guests delighted us as they danced and danced a happy little dance with every drop that hit a puddle. Sometimes those muddy rain babies would find their way to our faces and squeals would erupt. Mom would squeal loudly too. What great times those were. Having Mom right there in the middle of us made it that much better. She was the one that taught us to appreciate those rain babies and to look past the rain for that hidden joy.


I know that rain can sometimes bring devastation but for the most part, it brings life, growth and a refreshing newness to everything it falls upon. Some people love the rain as much as I do. I'm almost certain umbrella makers love it; farmers pray for more of it during droughts and I've never met a duck that didn't love the rain. Flowers lift their faces to soak in every drop. If you have never watched the muddy rain babies dance when it rains, I would encourage you to go outside, lay on your belly and watch the muddy rain babies dance. You might get a little wet but it's well worth it and you might find a joy like you've never known.


So many important life-lessons were passed to me by my Mom. They are deeply ingrained in the deepest part of who I am. If you could physically look into my heart, you would see Mom's finger prints there in every crevice of my being. She taught me that nothing in life was to ever be taken for granted. Every lesson had it's reason, good or bad; everyday had it's purpose, happy or sad and every person was a blessing, to be loved unconditionally. She taught me that if I would just look a little deeper, past the rain and into the mud puddles, I would find hidden joy.  I still look for those muddy rain babies today and my spirit still squeals with delight.