Stones in the Rain

We have had a lot of pain lately. It has fallen from the sky in great quantities. Sometimes you see it coming. The distant clouds on the horizon warn of the coming storm. But lately it has come as a sudden gale. Striking without warning and drenching to the bone.

I looked at the news and found a picture of a friend smiling back from me the CNN home page. Confusion gave way to disbelief as I realized that she had been murdered.

I answered the phone and heard the voice of a friend on the other end. Joy gave way to despair as she told me of the abuse of a child.

I checked email and found out that the child of a friend has leukemia.

I sit here weeping as I write this. The tears don't come often, but they are there. They lurk beneath the surface of my smile.

As I look out the window I see the gravel. I have walked across the gravel parking area several times. It is a grey non-descript amalgamation of stones. But not today.

The rain has been falling for hours. As I look out now, my casual glance is arrested. The gravel has turned black from the rain. There among the darkness there are bright white stones. They are stand out in dazzling contrast to the slick blackness around them. They were invisible before. They blended in too well with their surroundings.

Today they shine bright in the rain.