Bottom of the Ninth #27 - Rain
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! Psalm 72:6
It was a rare Colorado summer afternoon rain that did not include lightning and thunder and wind. The skies had hung heavily over us for the first four innings of play for our ten and under baseball team when the rain began to come down. It was a close game at Toepfer Park and players and families were all having fun. The high-school-age umpire gathered the coaches and explained that he was willing to complete the game if they were, since there was no threat of danger. The players on both teams overheard and rousingly agreed that they wanted to play.
No sooner had that decision been made than the heavens opened up and the fun began anew. Players who had never slid into a base in their lives embraced the “slip and slide” opportunity at each base. The catcher used the puddle that formed around home plate to swish off the ball between each pitch. Not a single player agreed to stand under the collection of umbrellas that appeared over the open dug outs. Little boys (and big ones) had broad smiles and muddy everything. Squishy sounds and giggles mingled with the patter of rain that fell around us.
There are moments in life when you know you are in the midst of something special. This was one of those moments. No one considered stopping the pure play that was happening around us. No one felt the discomfort of wetness to the bone. No one wanted it to end. It did not end until the rain subsided and both teams of players and families laughed together at what we had just witnessed. Our only predicament was coming up with enough plastic to wrap around our soggy little players to allow them into a dry vehicle.
Rain. Such a simple phenomenon that brings life to the earth. That day, it brought new life to us and reminded us of the joy of little boys.
Lord, thank you for the sweet blessings you give to us. Help us to allow those blessings to fall upon us like a summer’s rain and to enjoy the moment as it happens.