Today I am thankful for the cold, gray rain of December

 

Today I am thankful for the cold, gray rain of December.  Really!  Although these rains muddy our shoes and dampen our spirits, they also create a contrast that adds a nice punch to life.  Once the skies clear and smiles return, we can appreciate the sun and the bright snow more than ever.  Believe it or not, my California grandchildren get tired of what they call “Sunshine, sunshine, every day, sunshine!”

 

Pictured here is the grave of my great- great- great-grandfather Nehemiah Cleaveland.  Next to him, his wife’s headstone reads, “Hannah Parsons Cleaveland, Age 104.”  If I, therefore, have even an outside chance of living to 104, I’d better get used to – and make the most of -these cold, gray, rainy days!