We were not expecting to see snow when we looked out at sunrise at the Eglise Sainte Marie-Madeleine (Armenian Apostolic Church of Mary Magdalene) from our window of the Hilton Grand Place in Brussels. But precipitation is an essential part of the water cycle, and one that I have tried to embrace while living in the Netherlands, which has weather often compared to Seattle, with rainfall and clouds for the majority of the time during winter. I've often made that blanket statement (while keeping warm and dry under a blanket), and today decided to look up the actual numbers and compare all of the places I've lived: Baltimore, Maryland (the website I used didn't have Balto., so I used Washington, D.C.); Athens, Greece; Orlando, Florida; and Utrecht, The Netherlands; as well as Seattle, Washington. The graphs for the individual cities can be found by clicking on the blue above, but I created a visual that confirms my statement, with a few surprises. First, I'll let you take a look...
Yes, if you compare Orlando, where I lived for 19 years before moving recently to the Netherlands, you'll agree with me when I say I'm going through sun-withdrawal, and having difficulty with so many days with rain. I have to admit, the rain is usually misty or a drizzle, unlike the sudden, torrential downpours in Orlando, but still! To lift me out of the blues, I think about the beautiful tulips and other bright flowers that will be blooming soon in gardens, like Parc du Cinquantenaire (below) in Brussels.
I present you with this park bench for today's Spiritual Sunday, and suggest taking a seat in a place where you can appreciate nature, the weather, and life in general.
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call him while he is near....
For just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to him who sows
and bread to him who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
(New American Bible, Isaiah 55: 6, 10-11)
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call him while he is near....
For just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to him who sows
and bread to him who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
(New American Bible, Isaiah 55: 6, 10-11)