As I accompanied my wife to her Parkinson Disease exercise class this today, it was a “misty, moisty, morning.” It was also a Monday. Cue the Carpenter’s “Rainy Days and Mondays.” I’m not sure if it was the weather or the aftermath of a busy Easter weekend, but I yawned through most of the hour. I had the day off and spent most of it just chilling out, working on taxes and checking out some of the contributions to this week’s Photo Challenge. The day ended with light showers and the week promises to be wet. But it’s just what we need as the trees begin to leaf out, the flowers bloom and the grass starts to green up.

Dripping Crab Apple Tree

In my late adolescence and college days, I tended to be on the melancholy side of the emotional spectrum. Songs like “Rainy Days and Mondays” really DID get me down. However, as I began to sense more of my purpose in life as it revolved around my relationship with Christ, that emotional barometer began to rise. At least some of the lines from that “blues” song relate to how that happened in my life.

Funny, but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny, but it seems that it’s the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me
(The one who loves me)

Though I was already a believer in Christ, my internal wanderings away from him, even though I outwardly appeared to be walking with him, seemed to be the trigger that brought me down. However, like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24), who came to his senses in a pigsty and ran back to the father, I found the loving arm of Jesus, welcoming me back when I repented of my wanderings and ran back. I’ve found no One better to run and find than Jesus, who has an everlasting love for me!

 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. – Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)