When the rain fell—
softly breathing, then with snores of thunder—
our ears woke first to ancient rhythms
and whispers of water.
The dusty world cleansed;
the brittle made supple;
small spirits washed green and
sighing, serene.
We turned towards each other,
smiling into the blessing
of a newly-baptized earth.
Our embrace: not clinging, but soft
with the fullness of gratitude
for wet leaves
and lives saved again by water
and love.
© Copyright of all visual and written materials on The Daily Round belongs solely to Catherine M. O’Meara, 2011-Present. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited, without the author’s written approval. No one is authorized to use Catherine O’Meara’s copyrighted material for material gain without the author’s engagement and written permission. All other visual, written, and linked materials are credited to their authors. Thank you, and gentle peace.
THE DAILY ROUND 
Oh yea!!!! You finally got rain! I am so happy for you. We just ended ten days in the 90’s and no rain and emotionally it is crippling after a while. I cannot imagine what such a long stretch without rain was like for you. I am so glad it arrived at long last. Your whole body sighs and releases long held tensions just from the sound and goes limp with gratitude for the relief….Enjoy! I hope it continues…..VK
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Extremely welcome and completely renewing, that’s for sure. I know we need so much more to restore balance and peace for our wildlife and farmers, but we’re doing the gratitude dance today!
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Catherine thanks for stopping at my blog and for your kind words. You are on a small but growing list that I follow. As a novice to blogging I’m inspired by your photos and writing.
If you were in need of rain I’m happy for you, for me rain is like an annoying coworker, I learned to work with in spite of my feelings.
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Thanks, Gary. I appreciate your visiting and sharing so much. Yes, we REALLY need rain and are grateful for even this small amount.
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Is the Hallelujah Choir singing Catherine? I believe it is. 🙂
I’m grateful Sister Water rained upon your land…now if she’d come my way…I keep going outside to watch the darks clouds moving overhead but nothing yet. I’ve been drumming and singing all day, and had the rattle going for a bit too. It keeps swirling all around my fair city. About 11:30 I went out to check the mailbox and found some raindrops…about fifty of them…falling, lol, but even in that I was profoundly grateful. Being soft with the fullness of gratefulness sounds extremely joyous to me and very gentle. Ahhh this!
I’ll keep the prayers going up Dear Heart…and thank you for the heads up and beautiful rain photos….it makes my heart smile!!!
Mitakuye Oyasin…
Akasa
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I hope you received some of tonight’s bounty, Akasa. It has been a blessed day; that’s for sure! Know that your earth and animals are in my prayers. Peace to you. And moisture!
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Nice poem and beautiful pictures… and of course, wonderful news. These rhythms, the dry and then the wet… especially when we are sensitive to the plants and animals around, make us so aware of our connection to all living things. There is a yearning for water, when there is none, and it helps us realize how dependent we are on the balance of nature. Beautiful post.
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You’re right, Shimon; thank you…when life becomes reduced to whether it will rain or not, we become very aware of others’ thirst and are so grateful for a rainfall that may otherwise have been labeled only a “nuisance,” (although I’m someone who usually loves rainy days). The drought isn’t ameliorated by one storm, but I think my little gardens are sweetly cleaned and nourished, and I hope the river life is aided, too..
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Thanks be to God.
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🙂 Agreed!
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Oh, you captured it so beautifully Catherine, in both verse and image. “the brittle made supple” and “the blessing of a newly-baptized earth” – so perfectly put. We finally got rain here as well, though we weren’t nearly as in need. Finally, the sound of moving through the garden has changed from dry crackling to moist swooshing again. The blessing of rain 🙂
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Thank you, Lynn; your visits and sensitive comments always deepen my spirit’s understanding and progress, and I’m so grateful.
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Lovely! Rain so seldom falls here. On living with less, I highly recommend the 2010 Tom Shadyac documentary, “I Am,” which I saw last night. So inspirational. – Kaye
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Thank you for this resource, Kaye, and for your visit!
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