I LOVE sunshine! I love to sit next to a sparkling river, on a sandy beach, in the wet grass, or on my back porch and soak it up. The sun fills my heart with warmth and energy and life. The more sunshine, the happier I am. Sadly, the long summer days have drawn to a close, and soon winter will be upon us. Rain and snow.
But then new birth.
And the cycle repeats.
This past weekend, I was reminded again of that cycle as I stood in the rain with my husband’s family – children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – to scatter the ashes of his beloved mom. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.
What might have been a sad occasion was filled with laughter as Grandma’s children and grandchildren tossed the fine powder into the rain and wind, only to have it come billowing back in their faces – as if to say, “You can’t get rid of me that easily!” And we can’t.
Despite the rain and the tears, Grandma lives on. She lives on in the laughter of her children. She lives on in the old movies she watched late at night with her only son, and in the sparkle of her jewelry draped around each daughter’s neck. She lives on in the smile of her newest great-grandson. And she lives on in her grandchildren still unborn.
And though Grandma’s body is now one with the earth, her spirit soars in the heavens. We might wish for less rain, less heartache, and fewer tears, but after the rain, the sunshine will surely return. And in the stillness of the noon-day sun, we can feel Grandma wrap her arms around our hearts. 
