Memoria

♥

The rain always put a smile on my face. It was never a symbol of sadness, but of purity and honestly and love. It was something to celebrate, not wish away. And today was no exception. I was thankful for the comfort of the water as it drenched my clothes and plastered my hair to my face. It was, to me, the world's way of hugging me; helping me hold together.

My hands were buried into the pockets of my coat. Streams of water flowed down my face. It fell from my nose and dripped off of my eyelashes. I watched as the rain descended from the sky in thick drops.

♥

"Aly, come on!" cried the six year old to her four year old companion. "Hurt 'fore you miss it!" She giggled. A soaked Aly huffed in a pout, but continued on up the hill after her friend.

"Lynnie! I'm tired!" She complained. The older girl paused as Aly caught up with her. She grabbed the younger girl's hand and walked with her, tugging her along.

"The top is just right there. My mommy says that the top is the best spot to watch the stars shower 'cause you're closer to the sky."                              

"Will it make our wish come true?" Aly asked curiously. Lynn nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes! We're gonna be closer to the sky so the magic person that makes the wishes come true can hear us better!" she said happily, dancing around a bit in the falling water. Aly nodded, as if her friend's explanation was perfectly logical. The pair of them continued walking the last several yards, despite the rain, until they reached the top.

On the peak was a rock, just big enough for the two of them. They sat and waited for the show that they had been anticipating for days. The rain was beginning to let up, but the cool night air did nothing to help dry nor warm their skin. The younger girl began shivering lightly.

Taking notice of the trembling child, Lynn scooted closer to her and pulled her into a hug.

"What are you doing, Lynnie?" Aly asked, confused.

"Well whenever I’m cold, my mommy or my daddy or my big brother will always hug me to warm me up. They says it’s cause I'm 'side their heart and their heart is warm 'cause they loves me."

"So does that mean you loves me too?" Lynn nodded.

"Mhmmm," That made Aly smile.

"Then I loves you too, Lynnie," she said. Suddenly a stream of light streaked across the sky, then another... and another. Both girls squealed excitedly. "Make a wish, Lynnie! Make a wish!" They squeezed their eyes shut as tight as they could.

‘I wish that we can be best friend forever,” Lynn said aloud.

“That’s my wish too!” Aly exclaimed. The two watched as meteors flashed and lit up the night time sky. They were mesmerized right until the very end. Then they stood up happily, hand in hand, and walked back down the hill into Lynn’s house where her older brother, Will, was waiting for them.

♥

Someone once told me that rain was God's way of trying to cleanse the world. It was His attempt at washing away some of the impurities of today so that tomorrow, we can start off fresh. Or it was how He cleared away the rubble and the trash and showed us the path that He wanted us to take.

I've never been a particularly religious person, but I'd always felt as if there was a bit of truth behind those words. There was something pure about the rain. Whether it was god's work or not, it held this innocence and cleanliness that I found too hard to dispute.

Even with all of the frightening thunder and destructive lightning, all of the rueful wind and the mess left behind, it is pure. It isn't tainted with evil or selfishness. It's simply...rain.

And it washes away what's necessary, even though you don't always recognize it immediately.

♥

"Lynn, How could you?!" Aly screamed at the blonde girl standing before her. "Why?!"