Article January 1, 2001 ISSUE

Rainy day

By Mari Grasso de Milone, Uruguay Carolina Milone, Uruguay

"Ugh!" sighed Martin.

A moment later, another even louder "Ugh!" came from the corner of the couch where Martin sat looking out the window. It was a rainy and windy Sunday afternoon. Above all, it was BORING!

Martin wasn't allowed to go out to play, and that didn't make him happy at all.

He thought of watching TV, but his favorite show was not on.

He thought of his friend Matthew, and how much fun they always had when they played together. But Matthew was on vacation in a faraway place.

So Martin decided to visit his grandmother, who lived upstairs. Grandma knew how to tell wonderful stories. Martin loved listening to them. One time, when Martin was afraid of the dark, Grandma told him that God fills all space. After that, he wasn't afraid anymore.

This rainy day, Martin found Grandma in her favorite place among the geraniums and petunias on her balcony. "What's up, Martin?" she said, greeting him with a big smile. Grandma was always happy to see him. Her smiles made Martin feel warm inside, like hot water bottles make you warm in your bed on a cold night.

"Will you tell me a story, Grandma?" Martin asked.

He sat down on the flower stool next to her. Grandma started telling him about little fingers of water tapping on the roof when it rains.

She told him how the rain comes from far up in the clouds to water the earth and make the flowers and trees in every garden grow. And sometimes, before the rain goes away, it paints a rainbow of colors in the sky to say goodbye.

"It's God who makes all these things happen," Grandma said. "That's one way He shows us that He is always taking care of us."

It was still raining. But the garden suddenly seemed full of beautiful things to Martin. The wisteria by the window was covered with trembling diamonds of raindrops. A robin sang its heart out on a branch of the apple tree.

Martin began to see that God always puts joy in your heart. He could find happiness in everything around him: a flower, a bird, a drop of rain. Or in a friend.

"Everything good is already inside you. You only need to look for it," Grandma said. Maybe that was what Jesus meant when he said, "The kingdom of God is within you"

(Luke 17:21 ).

"Thank you, God, for giving me joy," he said. Then he and Grandma went to the kitchen to have a cup of hot chocolate and some of Grandma's homemade cookies.

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