I am sitting in my den here in Los Angeles this evening listening to rain drumming on the window panes. I associate that sound with peacefulness and it makes me want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book and just listen to that gentle pattering.

I grew up in North Central Texas where it frequently rains during certain times of the year and gentle rain has been something I have always loved. During a rainstorm when I was a child, I often opened my bedroom window a few inches and then lay down on my twin bed and peered outside. As I lay there, the coolness of the breeze washed over me and sometimes a fine mist moistened my face. I watched as the limbs rocked in the wind and the leaves shimmered with wetness. Calmness descended upon me as I listened to the rhythm of the rain and often my eyelids grew heavy and I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep. That is how I feel tonight, my breathing getting deeper as I write.

As we face this pandemic, I can’t help but think of how rain is a healing tonic for much of what ails our earth. It is restorative, replenishing our rivers and streams and providing plants and animals with a good drink of water. Also, it washes away the grime on our city streets and buildings and helps clean the air. We literally can’t live without rain; it is essential to our well-being. While rain is sometimes associated with sadness and despair, it is also symbolic of cleansing and renewal, something our world needs right now.

I pray for the day when the entire world is washed clean from this dangerous virus and we can all return to our daily lives, changed hopefully for the better. But for now, I’ll revel in the sound of this gentle rain and in the sense of peacefulness it brings.

As Langston Hughes said so well:

I’ll be checking in again with you tomorrow.