The Rain...

It’s one of my favorite kind of days: rainy, dark and dismal. It sounds negative, but the comfort behind this storm gives me relief, tranquility and calmness. I woke up to the sounds of pitter-pattering outside my window while lying in bed under my covers, creating a collaboration of Godsend music to my ears. There are some people who hate the rain. I, on the other hand love it. It reminds me of times when I was a child. My mom was a homemaker who took care of me and always kept me company, since I was 7 years younger from the next sibling up. We would play games and my mother would spend endless hours playing mindless make believe games with me. Sometimes, she would take me out in the rain to this Polynesian restaurant and order the pu pu platter. It’s a platter full of meat and fish appetizers with a fire in the middle of it. How I loved watching the different array of colors flicker from the flame.

The rain also reminds of many good times spent with my partner. We would run through the streets of this small village, trying to avoid the ‘big frizzy hair syndrome’ and duck under a little nook with our café mochas talking until our cups were completely dry and our heartbeats going a mile a minute. When we first started dating, we ended up on the hood of her car kissing in a severe thunderstorm that lasted for almost an hour. We didn’t even realize how severe the storm was until we got back inside and we had to wring ourselves out. I ended up with pneumonia, but it was well worth it! Good times... (This is an actual photo I took from our beach house in the Hamptons.)

Memories also remind me of the time my partner and I would go to the beach house in the Hamptons. We were so close to the beach that the surf sometimes traveled all the way up to the house. The storms there were just incredible. The views, the sounds of the surf pounding into the ground and the wild storms that came rolling through were God’s way of showing how powerful He was! We’d sit on the deck and watch the light show while finishing off a delicious bottle of wine. I’ll never forget it.

Countless times walking back to our bed & breakfast over in Provincetown, MA in the pouring rain, are one of the best memories I have. Hand-in-hand, Madelene and I would be stumbling back home after midnight from a wonderful night of dinner, entertainment and dancing. We’d get into our suite and jump right into the hot tub to warm ourselves up.

To me, the rain is the most romantic setting ever, aside from a snowstorm. It reminds me of roaring fires, good wine, romance and the memories of when I was younger. It provides comfort on many levels, where I can say: I absolutely love this weather!

What’s your favorite memory of the rain?

Here's a video I took outside our apartment of a bad storm that created a small twister up on the mountain. We later found out it was a tornado in the town next to us, which we filmed. After the footage, you'll see the rainbow that appears.