Today It Rained. And I Remembered.

There is a name for people like me. It's Pluviophile. It means "a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days."

Ten years have passed since I lived in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoyed our seven years in Montana, and Utah is okay too, but home for me will always be the lovely Northwest, whether Washington or Oregon. And I think that's mostly because of the rain.

I often wonder if I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, only mine is opposite of most people's. The cloudier it is, the happier I am! Nothing improves my mood more than waking to the drizzle of rain with an overcast sky. Problem is, that barely ever happens here.

But today it did. Today it rained. And I remembered.

I awoke in the middle of last night, startled by lightening bright in my bedroom, followed by crashing thunder and then pouring rain. Over and over my room lit up. It went on for a long time, until finally, I woke Gerald; I wanted someone to be awake with me. He was the only one I could think of who wouldn't mind that it was 3:00 a.m.

Today it rained. And I remembered.

I remembered as a little girl, perhaps seven or eight, walking home from Lloyd Center in the rain with my mom. It was a long walk, and I have no memory of why we did it, but if I close my eyes, I can still feel it. We walked and talked, from Lloyd Center all the way to our house on 121st and Halsey. It wasn't exactly pouring, but rather the constant drizzle of tiny, moist raindrops fell softly on our skin. We arrived home drenched, yet I would have been happy to walk forever.

Today it rained. And I remembered.

I remembered my dad picking me up from the dance studio in the rainy evenings. I'd dash out of the studio and run to his car, the smell and touch of rain all around me, then jump in next to him and listen to the rain on the windshield all the way home. I'd crack the window to allow some of it to spray on my face. We'd drive by The Little Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, and he'd make dumb jokes (that I thought were funny) like "That is a place people are just dying to get into."

Today it rained. And I remembered.

I remembered week after week the dripping wet soccer games. Shulamith played for six years, and in all that time, I'm pretty sure there were only about two dry games. Most times, it rained. I had my two tinies with me, Isaiah and Eli, bundled up in heavy coats and rain slickers, and still I struggled to know how long to keep them out in the rain and when to escape to the car, where I could watch the game only from a distance. Gerald and I took turns sitting in the car with the boys and watching Shulamith play. While I can't honestly say that I miss soccer games (sports are not my favorite), the rain was glorious.

Today it rained. And I remembered.

I remembered because it happens so rarely here. Even with the storm last night, I figured it would be dry by morning. I figured wrong. When I woke up at 7:30, I could still hear it. On the metal carport adjacent to our house. Rain! Was it for real? Was it really still raining? Though tired from being awake so much in the night, I couldn't risk missing the opportunity. This is Utah. It will stop soon. I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed my umbrella, and left. I walked for a long time. It felt like home. And I remembered.

Today it rained. And I remembered.