Dear Friends: Dancing in the rain, it’s an art …

There’s something romantic about dancing in the rain, right? Well, I’m 66 and, finally, I can say I have danced in the rain. It made me smile. Doing something you’ve always wanted to do is bound to bring a smile. No matter the outcome, we did it; and we get to check it off our list.

The dance reminded me that dancing in the rain is something we prepare for. We don’t just stand there in a rainstorm and decide to dance. We’ve met prerequisites.We’ve developed an awareness of the rain. We no longer hide from it. We don’t shy away from it. We trust what the rain brings to meet our needs. Then, when we get caught in the rain, we can smile. We FEEL like dancing; because we’ve learned to appreciate the cleansing, the nurturing, the lessons, and the rainbows.

And that brings to mind some of Eric Fromm’s wisdom. He tells us how people often look for the right object, or the right person, to love. They may think that if they could just find the right one, they could love that one perfectly, easily. The reality is, though, that love is an art. And if we are going to love the one well, if we are going to love anybody well, we must practice the art of loving. We must learn to love well.

Let’s practice. I’m so grateful that we can. I’m so grateful that no matter how short I fall, I am learning to love well. Let’s not give up. Let’s practice loving, trusting the rain, dancing, living. And let’s smile through it all, knowing that we are learning to free our very essence. Let’s dance, naked, in both the sun and the rain.

Love smiles on you,