Like those famous song words - The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow!  There's always beauty out there, even in the middle of the storm.

Speaking of storms , we were supposed to have  a  really big one early this morning. It rained a little and the wind huffed and puffed a little but mostly was out of wind. It tuned out thus far to be a big flop as an important weather event. Now I know that what you are saying is true about the Sun. It usually always holds up it's end of the bargain.

Thank God , he didn't think about putting a dimmer on the sun, just in case it got to hot. So I'll be looking for it and the little damp ground is sure better than dry dirt so I am grateful for the attempt made by Mother Nature to provide a Rain Storm. She mostly likes to keep us guessing, don't you know. She hates to be fooled with to, I noticed.

But I know she isn't in charge of the Sun, I think that  God kept the Sun for himself to control. Being able to use it to answer a lot of prayers that must get built up over time. Besides, above all the clouds, the sun is out every single day. No dimmer switch and certainly no on and off switch. When he needs it, he knows how to tick off old Mother nature and gets her to do the old huff and puff and when she ain't looking, poof, the Sun shines right down, just when it's needed most.

That's why I believe  in God and Santa Clause. Well, not for the same exact reasons of course, but sort of.

Kathy, We are surrounded by beauty and sometimes don't even realize it.  Whoever said to stop and smell the flowers was absolutely brilliant.  I try not to miss all the good around me and bypass anything negative.  Thank you for the reminder!

It's been a crappy week in the Rain thats for sure...hopefully the sun will shine for a while.

Hi Kathy,

It snowed today.  At last!  Our first major snow of season.  Skiers are excited.  The road is slushy and ugly.  It's beautiful though.  It feels like Christmas.

Catherine

Kathy -no flowers here, not on the ground that it is. But one can always find flowers or something else that makes it a beautiful day. It may not always be easy to step away and smell the roses. Sometimes life just wants you to see the storms and heavy dark sky. None of it lasts forever -that's the good part.

We live in Michigan so we have rain, snow, sun, all in a couple of hours.....never gets boring.  We have mainly been looking at snow this week.:>)

Storms, rain....and now look....a positive sunny side to life...wow. Bring me some.....I'm soooo tired.

Michael- Your words are so true...and this beauty is shared by all if they want .Thank You  :) :)

William-Here he is......my eloquent writer of all time :)  You might have missed CA's big Storm, but it hit here last night about 9, and has been a doozie all night.  Today, the wind let up, and it stopped raining a few times.....with a blue, white cloud sky.....a few times......and then rain again :)  San Diego has some of the best weather in CA, so if you even got a few drops, that's good.  No dimmer switch on the sun.....I like that, and I like Santa Claus too :)

Carole- We can get caught in a storm every now and then, even if we had taken all precautions not to, but then finding the good after is more important.  Ruffled feathers will dry out, we can put the umbrella away, and then just enjoy the beauty again :) :)

Monika-Funny, but I have been waiting since Wednesday morning to do a Post on the Purple Flowers that literally took over the Desert Floor after CA's rain.......but never got it written.  So, after the storm here this week, this Post was written with a double meaning......but it is in fact one. Some People will play in the  rain, or a storm, and some people will take shelter...but when it is said and done, the sun comes out, and the beauty that has surrounded us all the time just pops up to remind us of what we already had.  Like the purple flowers, or someone we didn't even know standing up for what they perceive as a thunderbolt, misdirected :)

The sun will shine here...it is not raining in Williams town, but it is in mine.....so I might just drive to his for awhile....but the sun is there :)

Catherine-Oh how I loved how you said this "it's slushy and uguly, but beautiful"  The first snow of the season is a long anticipated event....how I miss the snowy Christmas's in Romania.  Hope you take time to enjoy it :)

Faina-Wise words....yes, if we didn't have to see and experience some of the dark skies, then how would we ever really appreciate the sun.....even my trip to Hawaii had rain....but we made the best of it, so when the sun came out again, that made that day even more special :)

Bonnie- How lucky you are to have all of them....but I'll bet you don't always feel lucky, especially when the snow is freezing :) :)

Sally- "Stop the Plane"  send Gary out to the Desert....it is full of wildflowers :)  And if we look here too, there are tons of wildflowers, and birds, and everything that makes life good :) :)  Hang on...your storms will end soon, some of ours have just begun, but all will end :)

Very true words, Kathy.  Hopefully the thunderbolts are finished, the umbrellas safely stashed away the sun will begin shining again on ALL of us.  BTW, beautiful photo...

Lisa-The storm is almost over....I think there is one shower left, in a way just a sprinkling after that big thunderbolt, but a much needed one....but then the sun will wash everything clean again :)

I can't say that here as the flowera are always in full Bloom:)

Neal.....too funny....  And you didn't even Bold Bloom :) :)

Beautiful picture! We've been getting that rain that passed over you all day -- I even pulled out my cowboy hat to stay dry!

Ann- I'm smiling at you wearing your cowboy hat to stay dry.......and thanks on the picture.  I pulled off the road to take that picture, as I was so surprised to see flowers blooming :)

Hey....Singing in the Rain....or Frosty the Snowman sounds like a great conclusion...what do you think?

I like what you said --beauty can be found everywhere! Especially after a storm

Kathy, I like your point. I think if we all look a little closer we can enjoy what nature gives us! Here in Texas I saw three butterflies yesterday and just loved it! Happy Holidays you California girl. Deb

Sally- what do I think.....how much time do you have :) :)

Aziz- Absolutely.......:)

Debra- thank you.  Oh, I would have loved to see those butterflies.....nature has so much that we can all learn from, like appreciating the gifts we're given, and allowing the natural order of things to play out....including storms :)

Kathy, I always secretly enjoyed that little ditty from Little Orphan Annie -- "The sun will come out tomorrow.  Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there will be sun."

I love the day after a rain...the air is so fresh, the skies are so blue and the gardens look even greener!

Kathy - I love a good rain storm, but I detest the kind you're referring to. I'm so happy the worst of it has moved on. So good to hear your voice in here again.

Brian- I hope so, and I hope that the air is cleared pretty quickly. I am tired of dodging puddles, and the splashes made by fast speeding cars, some of which never even noticed that in their desire to reach their destinations they have left some innocent people pretty muddy.........

Diane- Me too :) 

Tom-You chose the perfect word.....I too detest that kind of storm, and as I said earlier there is one more shower left in that one, at least one that is forecasted....but we all know how forecasts go :) And we all know how storms go, sometimes they end quicker than others......Anyway I was pretty upset to be caught without my umbrella, but hey life's tough right :) 

Kathy - "Shift Happens 2.0" thats pretty clever by Ted. I will have to check it out. I am glad to hear that sun is shining bright after the big storm.

Kathy-Yes, the beauty that surrounds us after a storm is full of wonder.  And we do need to take a moment and reflect on all of that beauty and nothing else.  We have had a nice snow storm out here in Utah since last night and it's absolutely spectacular.  Now I'm going to run and play with my family in the snow so that we can reflect on some great memories. Have a beautiful day me friend.

Kathy, very true.  We can get so caught up in our lives we tend to miss out on a lot of the beauty.  I'll check out Ted's post.

Come on over and stand in the rain or else I can get my garden hose out to wash off the mud :)

Hi Kathy,
Seems while I have been under the weather this week, there have been some storms here on AR.  We've seen them before, haven't we?  You are right, the sun is there just waiting to pop out and showcase the beauty that has been there all the time. 

Going a little off topic here (hijack warning) but William's reference to God and Santa is too good an opening to pass up.  (Besides - I live in Florida - changes of season are observed outside of the weather - we don't get the same visual cues of seasonal changes)

So as part of my Christmas spirit (and my belief that everything is political these days) I would share a quote from P J O'Rouke and his book Parliament of Whores  explaining why he believes God to be a Republican and Santa to be a Democrat.

I have only one firm belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat.

God is an elderly or, at any rate, middle-aged mate, a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men strictly accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well-being of the disadvantaged. He is politically connected, socially powerful and holds the mortgage on literally everything in the world. God is difficult. God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God's heavenly country club.

Santa Claus is another matter. He's cute. He's nonthreatening. He's always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who's been naughty and who's been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without thought of a quid pro quo. He works hard for charities, and he's famously generous to the poor. Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one: There is no such thing as Santa Claus.

 

Thanks Kathy for the inspiration and the nicely photoshopped image - don't forget to look for the rainbow when the sun comes out.

Wow Cathy...where did this post lead to...Taking time at any time to notice the beauty around us is tied directly to your state of mind. I noticed years ago when I was walking slowly with my Wife, holding hands, that I noticed birds in trees, branches swaying, flowers blooming. I spotted new growth in bushes and shrub.  There is beauty in life all around us, but we get too caught up in flying by to notice.

.One last one I just thought of...Two years ago we were on our way to Clingmans Dome in the Smokies.. This exact road had been traveled by us 30 or more times over the last few years. Twice this week. But today, there was a hold up for some reason as we were driving thru the national forest, and we were averaging about 10 miles and hour and then stopping.  WE had mountainous forest on one side and large rocky streams full of running water on the other.. The next time we came back thru, we slowed down to revisit some of the wonderful detail along that stretch of road we had been missing for years....

So Kathy, when you finally do stop to look at the beauty around you, realize its because you have decided it was time to notice. The world, and all it has to share was there the whole time..

Ryan- Thanks, and I am sure you will enjoy the video on Ted's Post...it is right up your alley :)

Julie- Those horses really set a mood....free, spirited, beautiful, oh I wish I could see them like that for real ........hope you have/had fun out in the new snow...you won't believe this, but it hailed here for hours, and rained, and the sun came out....it was one strange day :)

Peggy-Yep, we do......hope you found Ted's Post enlightening :)

Sally- Funny, very funny.....it's a little too cold for the garden hose, but that just might work :)

Cynthia- Oh yes we have....and look what beauty we have found since :)  I hope you're feeling better......

Ted- That's quite a hijack :)  Now I had never heard those analogies.....but I wish there was a real Santa Claus......I like  smiling and  jolly, and of course generous....yep we could use a few more Santa Personalities.....thanks for bursting my bubble :) :) that was pretty cute thought......

Mike- Oh I can totally visualize your experience, and that is indeed what happens when we slow down in life....we can actually see what's around us, and appreciate it.  I loved the story of you and your wife, and all the beauty you saw around you.....that's the part of life I like best.  and it really is all around us, all the time, if we just take the time to see it :)

Thanks for your patience, Kathy.  Late night on the final day of moving can produce bizarre results.    (o:

Working on a laptop with a cell phone connection since broadband connections (usually 2) have not made the transition despite careful planning.

Still looking for the rainbow. 

Kathy,

There was a light drizzle here last night. This morning I wake up to a bright sunny day and the sky is clear. Sometimes there is a need for rain to clear up all the "debris". As Milli Vanilli states, "blame it on the rain...."  but this may not be appropriate since the best thing to do is to find a solution. Only then will there be peace and harmony.

Dave

Great attitude. Do always CONTINUE to look on the positive side of life!!

Kathy - The video is a testomonial to why we need to be here and active on the web.

Ted....Funny about rainbows Ted, when we look for them we miss them most of the time....:0  Hope the move is done, and all will be well soon in your little cyber world :)  Ted, thanks for everything you do here....

Dave D.  Agreed.....solutions are much better but sometimes not in our control, all we can do is try :) :)

Derrick- Positives are so much nicer than negatives :)

Kathy-Wasn't that a great Video Ted found.....I was fascinated with it.....