A Rainbow for the Road

by Donna Poole

Now what? The twenty-two in our family, plus our almost-family-photographer, Jenny Bowers from Sycamore Lane Photography, had agreed to meet at a park for family photos. Before we could even get out of our cars, clouds rolled, thunder sounded, and the winds picked up.

Jenny, sister to one of our daughters-in-law, and sister-in-law to our other daughter-in-law . . .. I see I need to stop right here and explain, or you’re going to think cousins married cousins. Here’s how our tangled family relationships work. Our son, Dan, said it best. He wrote this and read it at his brother, John’s wedding to Katie.

“Katie’s brother-in-law’s parents and John’s sister-law’s parents are my in laws, whose daughter-in-law’s brother-in-law is my brother, whose father-in-law’s son in law is john’s brother-in-law, whose sister’s mother-in-law and father-in-law are my parents, whose son’s sister-in-law’s parents are Lauren and Vicki, whose son-in-law and daughter are John and Katie???”

So, now that you clearly see no family married family, and you perfectly understand how the photographer, Jenny, is related to some but not all of us, and you sympathize with those of us who have trouble remembering who’s related to whom, I’ll continue my storm story.

As we watched the storm threaten at the park, our hearts sank. Kimmee, our daughter, felt especially bad. She’d worked so hard to co-ordinate schedules with twenty-two people, and with Jenny, who shoots many weddings with Kimmee, and feels to Kimmee like another sister. . . is she? Who knows!

“I have an idea,” Jenny said. “We could switch locations to our property. It’s beautiful outside, and we could go into the wedding barn if it rains.”

And so, our caravan took the road less traveled that included three dirt roads. It was a beautiful evening; the twelve photogenic grandchildren were perfect for the photoshoot, and the adults behaved almost as well as the kids.

My heart was full and my eyes wet as I watched each group of people I love gather for their pictures. I could never love this family any more than I did that beautiful summer July evening. My eyes kept straying to the east. God put a rainbow in the eastern sky, and it didn’t disappear quickly like most rainbows do. It stayed there the entire photoshoot.

Our family is facing some challenges, but I felt like God was giving us a sign of courage and hope.

I remembered something Amy Carmichael wrote, “Let’s give Him the satisfaction of knowing that He has some children who can trust their heavenly Father.”

Our family will trust you, Lord, we will! And when our faith falters in this race, show us again your lovely face!

I’m so glad plan A, the park, didn’t work out, and we went with plan B. We saw amazing scenery along the road. I’m going to try to remember that life lesson.

I hurt for many of God’s children who’ve recently faced devastating loss, or health news no one wants to hear, or beautiful hopes dashed beyond recognition.

Lord, please, give each one of your suffering children a rainbow of courage and hope, a quiet hope that may cry itself to sleep at night but gets up in the morning willing to try again one more day.  A hope like you gave me at a family photoshoot one beautiful summer evening in July.