Rainmaker

By Martha

Raindrops are pretty rare things here in Arizona. I mean, it is THE DESERT, after all, and we are in the middle of a very nasty drought on top of that. My three-year-old son, Donovan, has seen precious few rainstorms in his life.

Until this weekend. On Saturday afternoon, due to a Pacific storm, the skies opened up, the wind went at it, the rain drove sideways, and Donovan smiled like he was at Disneyland. My husband took him outside and let him go to town running around in the rain. Many tears were shed when it was finally time to come inside.

Sunday morning, Donovan awoke and immediately began demanding rain. Not exactly the easiest order to fill. Chocolate ice cream for breakfast? I can manage that every once in a while. Demands for rain? Not exactly within my powers.

"Sorry, it's not raining right now, sweetheart," I said. "Mommy, MAKE IT RAIN," he replied. I thought that I might appease him by taking him outside barefoot, still in his jammies, and letting him run around and splash in some leftover puddles.

We got outside, and he again insisted: "Mommy, RAIN!" A minute later, it started raining.

He began beaming and jumping and looking at me like I held the power of God. The rain was sporadic -- it started and stopped in fits and starts, and each time it stopped, he would yell for me to make it start again. Inevitably, within a minute or two, it would.

I don't know when I've ever seen him smile so widely. He was like a kid let loose in a candy store. And he totally thought that I was making it happen. Ah, the power of being a Mommy.

Comments

[Meg]

What a terrific story! My husband, right before we got together, lived in Arizona. He grew up in Illinois, and he missed the rain and snow with a passion...and that was as an adult. I can only imagine the wonder in a wee one's eyes. What a cool Mommy - to be able to make it rain!