The Silver Lining in a Leaky Roof

This morning, I woke up to my entire neighborhood completely engulfed in this thick, misty atmosphere, and I saw what appeared to be liquid (maybe water??) falling from the sky.  In a panic, I turned on the news, and I found out that all of Southern California has been taken over by the same phenomenon.  Knowing I have readers outside the greater LA area, I wanted to get the word out right away.  Is it an alien attack?  Is it paranormal?  I can't tell as of yet.  But I've got my eye on it.  I'm watching.  Watching it with great suspicion.

So, I'm wearing long sleeves and cooking a pot roast in the oven today, and the air conditioner is officially turned off, until as long as I can possibly hold off, next summer.  It's nice.  It's a great day to (FINALLY) finish decorating the house with autumn decorations.

*****

Well, that was about as far as I got this morning, when I was still in a love the rain and new autumn weather mode.  Then, I got a text from Hugo.  His parents' house was leaking.  Flooding, in fact.  I left my writing to go to their house in hopes of helping.  My mother-in-law Elaine was overwhelmed with the relentless water, but did she stop working?  Heck no!  She kept sopping, wringing, wiping, sopping, wringing, wiping, and she had been doing that for hours, long before I even found out about it, and got there. 

My sister-in-law Marina came in to help just after me, and it was touching how her presence alone was as comforting as it was to Elaine.  Then, my brother-in-law Luis came in and saved the day with a tarp for the roof.  He was up on top, in the pouring rain, and did whatever it was he needed to do in order to get the leaking to cease.

It made me think.  One woman's silly celebration is another woman's misery.  Here I was, loving the rain, and looking forward to a crackling fireplace, and all the while my mother-in-law is drowning in her own house (exaggeration).  It's always good to see alternative perspectives to our circumstances.  And speaking of that, I can only imagine what my attitude would have been had my house been leaking as badly as theirs.  Elaine Ambriz is a champion, even if a little sore and tired tonight.

It's close to sunset, and the afternoon sun is shining on my face as I write.  It's beautiful.  I think.  Feeling a little blind right now.  But, one of my favorite things to take in is the beauty of everything after the rain.

Another favorite thing is being able to look for the beauty in something that can seem horrible.  I know it's too soon for the ones who are dealing with the headaches of a leaky roof (and potential water damage), but the silver lining I'm able to take from it is how I'm counting my blessings about being able to have the flexibility to stop what I was doing, and run over to her side.  Even if I didn't do much.  But, to be able to be there meant a whole lot to me.  It's stupid little stuff like that that builds relationships.  With all of my new in-laws, I got onto the relationship bus kind of late, since Hugo and I married in our middle age.  So I have lost time to make up.

Don't tell Elaine and Luis I said this, but I really did enjoy the rain today.  This afternoon Lee and I baked cookies, we made hot chocolate, I brewed Fresh and Easy Pumpkin Spice coffee (to die for, with a dash of sugar), and I was able to cook the roast and decorate for autumn, after all.

We even saw a rainbow.  Good stuff.