Rain, rain

Here in Bakersfield

water is precious.

In a place that only gets 6-8 inches

of rain per year,

a day of rain is usually celebrated.

Unfortunately, a town that

never gets much rain is

not equipped to deal with a lot of rain.

It has been raining for 4 days now.

On Sunday, the ping ping ping of water falling

announced a leaky roof.

Cars are stalled in flooded roads as people

unfamiliar with driving in these conditions

attempt to finish their holiday errands.

The damage is daunting,

& I pray for all those affected.

But I also think, in some way,

the rain has forced us all to slow down,

to stop.

With all of the rushing around, the

usual break-neck pace of the holidays,

a moment of pause to reflect on the waters

may be just what we need.