Rain, Blessed

California is drinking the blessing of rain this last few weeks, dry soil soaking it all up, almost joyfully, sometimes dangerously.  A madrone falls behind my house, and one branch hits the roof, but does no damage.  And now, so much firewood for next winter, and a well-stapled tarp.

On Lompico road, the waterfalls which were barely visible over the canyon's tall cliffs are flowing so beautifully that it breaks the heart to see.  Now they are torrents, white and strong.  My heart fills with happiness.  During a break in the rain, on a night when bare trees make black lace against a gray sky, owls call, so many that it is a true, rare chorus of owls. They call and chase each other all over the forest, their hollow voices echoing.  It is a moment which transcends time, holds me as if in a bubble of gray glass.

At the same time, I pray for things: no floods, no creeks or rivers overflowing their banks. I pray for no days-long power outages, I pray for shelter for all, so that no one has to walk around soaked and despairing of a place to be dry and safe.  And no landslides, though I often have to dodge big rocks on Highway Nine and Lompico Road.

I pray Spirit keeps all of us safe,  Yes, the climate is changing.  Yes, we are edging more and more into a time when things worsen, when the earth becomes angry for all its scars and misuse.

Yet while it is happening, I intend to enjoy the ride.

Let the rain come down!