It rained one day last week. Not much. By official measurement only .02”, but it was enough. After a summer wrought with smoke and extreme heat, .02”  was enough to bring relief to the ground, to the air, to the plants, to our souls. But it reminded me that the most meaningful relief is through what we can offer others and the most permanent is what God offers us.

There was a commercial in the mid seventies that asked the question “How do you spell relief?” If you know the answer to that, then not only have you revealed your age, but you have also proven the power of advertising.

Though I am not sure how many people took ROLAIDS up on their cure for acid indigestion, I do know that their slogan certainly passed the test of time. And those little tablets did offer temporary relief.

But relief that surpasses just the absence of physical discomfort comes most often with a human touch. Sometimes it comes in grand gestures. I remember that almost immediately after my divorce, my cousin took a week of her vacation time and came all the way up from Southern California to be with me for a week, to make me feel special and to not be alone. It was wonderful.

At other times that relief only needs to come in a small portion, like that .02”. It could be an impromptu visit, or call, or text from a friend; a meal; a helping hand; an hour of respite; an unexpected gift; a shared memory.

However, people are not always available or in tune with our struggles or feelings, which is why, ultimately, God is the one who will always be there to provide comfort.

Yes, the one who sent the .02” of rain to restore our energy and air quality, is also the one of whom the psalmist Asaph said, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

Asaph tells God:

"Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23).

And the author or Lamentations reminds us:

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-24).

When you find yourself in need of relief, enjoy the refreshing rejuvenation of nature, cherish the time with friends, but rely on “the steadfast love of the Lord.”

I needed that.

Once I realized that I was fighting battles that weren’t mine to fight, I decided to take a month off to retreat and  regroup. I watched minimal news and viewed even less social media. I tried to avoid talking about politics and the coronavirus. I spent more time resting, reading, writing, walking, and praying. I am happy to report the following results.




I am refreshed. Just like an unexpected summer rain takes away the heat and pollution and tiredness that builds up, so too my respite has washed away my weariness and my energy has been restored.

I feel renewed and ready to resume my activities with a new spirit, and I have a visual reminder of this new lease on life. A creature of habit and routine, I really don’t like change. Consequently, for all twelve years that I have lived in my home, every wall in my house has remained the nondescript mocha it was when I moved in. That is until about a month ago. The lock-down left me with some time on my hands, and too much time staring at those walls. So I finally heeded the urgings of others and took a chance. I painted two rooms in bold colors. The dry walls soaked up the new paint, and the rooms took on a whole new freshness and look. I feel the same way.

Finally, I was able to reset. During my years as a teacher at Clovis West High School, I ran the clock for all the girls basketball games. Sometimes, I would get so involved in the action of the game, I would forget to start or stop the clock on time. As a result (usually because a coach noticed and complained), play would stop, and the ref would come over and have me reset the clock to the correct time. Then play would resume.

This was what I had needed to do as well. I had become so distracted by all the voices around me that I wasn’t listening to the only voice that was important. I needed to reconnect with my God and refocus on what He wanted me to hear. And funnily enough, in a world with so many conflicting voices and opinions, His command was so straightforward and simple and had never changed:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 30-31)

Oh, how different our world and relationships would be, if we just focused on these two things.