Storms and Rainbows

The darker the storm, the brighter the rainbow.

I am blessed to enjoy the company of a large local extended family and the connection we share is strong. The ripples of relation extend out through Grammies,  Grampies, Aunties, Uncles, and Siblings, and then on to cousins, second cousins, third cousins, etc.None of us pay much mind to the hierarchy of connection- family is family, and we all stick together like one of those haphazard kindergarten projects that is the result of a five year old being given a large glue stick and some discarded scraps of construction paper. In other words, we may not be the Cleavers, but we love hard and stick together come rain or shine.This weekend we get to enjoy a family wedding. It is an event we have all been looking forward to for many months. Full family get togethers are not easy to arrange so we all take those ‘save the date’ cards to heart, and show up when the occasion calls for it. Case in point, when our eldest son came to us a few months back with his grand plan for an epic journey that would take him through Europe and into Africa the only caveat we had was that he had to be home in time for the family wedding. He never batted an eye at scheduling his trip around this event- cause as a family this is just how we roll.Well, despite all of the planning that was done to make sure everyone could attend, heaven’s angels pulled a quick one on us in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday. One of our own got her angel wings unexpectedly - and now there will be a vacancy where she should have been sitting.  There is little use in second guessing the Universe on matters like this, so together as a family we will do what we must and huddle a little bit closer to one another, and lean in where we can.Although a loss like this can never be minimized, there was a small gift the Universe graciously provided. Within hours of one family member taking her leave, another had gone into labor- and by the time the calendar turned over on another day, there was a brand new baby in the family.  The leave takings and the arrivals surely must keep time with a rhythm we can never know…I have always believed there is something a bit like a revolving door that exists between worlds, with some souls coming in, while others are going out. In our family I imagine that the same glue that holds us all together in this world, stretches well into the next one too, and I just bet, that the one who was making her way through the exit door marked “Next Place’, brushed shoulders with (and probably gave a few choice words of advice) to the newbie who was on his way in. Perhaps she said something similar to what I have today… that as a family, we may not be the Cleavers… but we love hard, and we stick together come rain or shine.A single week will take us through the rain of loss, the sunlight of new life…. and the joining of two lives that will bring a brand new color to the rainbow that is our family, adding a color that we have never had before….

There is always order in the Universe… because you can’t find the new colors in a rainbow without first making your way through the storm.