A Moment in My Life – Thursday, January 28, 2021
“Have you ever seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day?” I grew up dancing to this great song like everybody else. It’s been a cold and stormy week. Playing this song feels right—comforting. Did you know many artists have sung this song with their twist added for effect? I never realized the plethora of renditions until I searched for this song on Amazon Music, and it played one version after another for hours. It’s incredible that the same tune, same lyrics could invoke a different emotional response with the teeniest variation. In the end, all versions were enjoyable. My favorite is still Creedence Clearwater’s version that excites a smile on my face and fires up my rhythm to a groovin’. This song has always been nothing but fun and peppy until I heard Bonnie Tyler’s edgy and powerful rendition that tugged at my heartstrings in a way that I never expected.
“Have you ever seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day?” Have you ever listened to the words? I sang along but not until Bonnie struck a core; did I “hear” the words. Goosebumps tingled while a heat blazed within as the unacquitted emotions ignited new life to this song. A song that squeezes my heart when a friend announces she now has more in common with me due to her husband losing his fight with Covid-19. She gets the roller-coaster emotions that widows go through now. Only until she experienced it herself did she get it. Same for me. I empathized but couldn’t wholeheartedly sympathize with other widows until I experienced what they went through.
At the time of my late husband, Mark’s demise, more people than I could count offered to be there for me, which was kind, but mostly, those were simply words of consolation. As time passed, it was life as usual for them. It wasn’t that they cared any more or less for me. It was what it was. Bonnie’s powerful voice delivered the lyrics forcing me to “hear” each word, and it finally made sense. We live by experience. With each experience, we understand the good and bad, ups and downs, sadness and happiness. We know what others are going through, having been there ourselves. It’s a blessing that none of these people have gone through the loss a widow experienced. Yet, as consoling as they would like to be, they are not equipped to do so without the experience, which I don’t wish upon any of them. This goes for other life situations as well. We can’t fully comprehend a loss of a child, parent, or any other loved one since each relationship is unique. There is no one size fits all for these situations or any circumstances that life tosses us.
“Have you ever seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day?” You won’t get it until you have. Yes, I have seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day. When that happens, you can see the smile on my face and follow the glisten in my eyes to the rainbow in the sky that reminds us of God’s promise never to flood the earth again. It reminds me that regardless of what life throws at us, we will go through the trials for a while, and in time, we will be okay. God sent people to be with us so that we won’t be alone. No experience necessary. The only thing that anybody could offer, sincerely, is their friendship, love, and perhaps a hug, along with their companionship. We may not know the words to say. That’s okay. The important thing is to be a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, or even just a breathing body to fill the room with warmth. People are our rainbow, and once again, I’m dancing to the song, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”