Take time to run in the rain...

A little girl had been shopping with her mom in a Wal-Mart Store.

She must have been 6 years old- a beautiful, red haired, freckle-

faced image of innocence. It was heavily pouring outside: the

kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, in such a hurry

as to hit the earth when it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door.

We waited, some patiently, but others irritated because nature messed

up their busy day. I am kind of a person who always get mesmerized by

rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away

the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing like a

carefree child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries

of my day.

The little voice came so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were

all engulfed in..

"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" the mother asked.

"Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," the mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated:

"Mom, let's run through the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the

young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning?

When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer,

you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd fell dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but

the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she should say..

Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being so silly.

Some might even ignore her request.

But this had to be a moment of righteous affirmation in a child's life...

A time when innocent trust could be nurtured so that it blooms into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain.

If GOD lets us get wet, well, maybe we just need a washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing

as they darted past the cars and, yes, through the puddles.

They held their shopping bags over their heads.. just in case...

Nevertheless, they got soaked.....

But they were followed by many who screamed and

laughed like children all the way to their respective cars.

And yes, they did... they ran...they got wet... they needed a washing...

But that was it... blessed were they!

A friend sent this to remind me about the nature of life.

Hope you enjoy it.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions,

they can take your money away; they can even take your health away.

But no one can ever take your precious memories away.....

So, don't forget to make use of time and invent opportunities to create

glowing memories everyday.

And every action should have a purpose under the sun.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to really

appreciate them, a day to love them, then an entire life to forget them.

If you don't send it to someone, it only means that you're in a hurry...

Take time to live!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need

each other and don't forget to run in the rain!

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your week-end.

Love,

Prof. Dr. Alex Abraham Odikandathil