It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

By Charlotte Riegel –

“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring…”

I was reminded of this cute little ditty we often sang as children, but the old man (my husband) was not snoring, and it was not raining/pouring moisture from the sky. His message box was being flooded with the financial woes from our adult children and he needed my oar to help navigate the rising waters.

It was already late in the day when we began rowing together and decided the best option was to rest on the information before making any responses other than acknowledging that their cries for help were being heard. Fortunately neither of the two families were asking for a handout, though they have received some in the past. Ah, a sign of maturing.

One expressed gratitude for the constant encouragement received and simply indicated where things were, which was dismal indeed. The other son assured us he was not asking for a bailout, but rather for some wisdom and insight, knowing we had splashed in these same waters while he was growing up.

He saw us go under from many career disappointments and a business failure, then resurface in a new location. As a child, he could not have known the significant impact all of this had on our lives. Our mentally, emotionally, and financially battered and bruised bodies were often well covered in bandages while we healed. The true punctures were not visible to others. He may not remember the many times our five children begged us to eat at McDonald’s but received, “I can feed all seven of us at home for the amount of money it would cost to feed one at McD’s,” as my response.

We swam around in grey waters for several years until we found new flippers and began to swim with increasing strength until we reached calmer, clearer waters of life. Perhaps it is time to dig out my journals and remind not only myself about the journey, but also to share it in detail with my children so they can stand on the principles we used for survival.

My first words of encouragement to them comes from Romans 12:12 (NIV):
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Deuteronomy 11:1-21 has much to say about our children not being aware of what God has taught us and how we must be diligent in teaching them.

Now to hunt for my journals for even I have forgotten all that God has done for me during our times of trial.

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 11:19 NIV).