The rain drips softly from the roof, hypnotizing me with its rhythmic patter as it falls onto the welcoming surface of the earth. I glance out the window as I sip tentatively at the steaming, rich, creamy cup of coffee in my hands and see the lovely red Christmas bows fluttering delicately in the cool breeze – the Christmas lights long since turned off. The bare limbs of the trees in the forest sway back and forth yet never break; a testament to the brilliance of nature.

It is morning. Dark clouds race by revealing only lighter grey clouds beneath. Will it rain all day again or might it clear? Despite two weeks of rain, I find my hopes leaning towards the first.

The weather is much like personalities, I realize. Sunshine brings us out, and rain draws us in.

I am rain.

My soul is as ancient and unchanging as the earth. It has seen and experienced life through the millennia, yet it remembers none of it – a blessing, perhaps, yet sorrowful for all of the loves lost.

I am rain.

I am the fierce, howling winds that rip and tear at the earth and the ineffectual structures that mere mortals recklessly build. I am the ear shattering boom of thunder quickly following a vicious strike of lightning. I am the flood that consumes everything its path with unforgiving tenacity. I can render the earth asunder with my unparalleled temper . . . but that is not often. And like nature, it only shows itself when renewal of life is necessary - the destroying of the old so the new may begin.

I am rain.

I am the safety and comfort of a roaring fire in the hearth or a thick blanket. I am a favorite book that challenges your imagination by taking you to exotic lands and times far removed from the ordinary. I am a smooth, rich cup of coffee (or chocolate) that warms the soul. I am the stillness of the room and the steady patter of rain that reminds you that I will always be with you, in good or bad times. I am nourishing.

I am rain.