Dancing in the rain

The subtitle of this blog is one of my mom's favorite sayings:  "Life isn't about weathering the storm; it's about learning to dance in the rain." You'd think that dancing in the rain would be easy for the woman who used to love to take long walks in the rain and splash in puddles, right? Yeah...not so much. Sometimes, I feel like I'm trying to dance in the rain, but I keep getting hit by lightning. OUCH!! That's not exactly the experience I was hoping for!

Searing bolt to the head: Bad!

How does the old saying go? Not enough sense to get in out of the rain? So what am I supposed to do? Get out of the rain or dance in it? So confusing. Dancing would be so much easier if it more like this:

Watch out for the lightning, Gene!

I think my mom knew that sometimes, you can't just hunker down and wait it out. There are always storms in life, and you have to just get out there and face them! Even if you get zapped once in a while. Sometimes you walk into a faint drizzle, other times a complete downpour. And if there's lightning, learn how to dodge it, if you can!

I know I talk a lot about overcoming adversity and/or challenges. Maybe I shouldn't. This is my adoption blog; I should be light and perky, right? Well...wouldn't you rather know that a family has gone through adversity and hardship and come out the other side stronger, wiser, and more capable of meeting other storms that may be looming on the horizon? Challenges help us grow, teach us humility, and make us strong.

"As you overcome adversity in your life, you will become stronger. Then you will be better able to help others -those who are working, in their turn, to find a safe harbor from the storms that rage about them." 

--Joseph B. Wirthlin

I don't know if I have a deep and profound conclusion to draw today. I just got hit by lightning again, and I feel a bit singed at the moment. Draw your own conclusions. Are you a dancer? Why or why not? And have you noticed that by dancing in the rain, you are more capable of teaching others to do the same, and help them up when they get zapped? I hope so. And I hope it has helped be to be a better mom, wife, sister, and friend.