I (Anna) spent an extended Father’s day weekend in NYC visiting my brother Mike and his wife Jill. New York has seen lots of rain this past month, some of which we were able to enjoy over the weekend. As astute readers may have noticed, Carol and I fittingly dedicated our second book, What Happy Parents Do, to our own parents. On the dedication page, I thanked my parents for teaching me to love the rain.

The little phrase, “we love the rain,” holds significance to me and my family on many levels. We do, quite literally, love the rain. When it storms we often step out on my parents’ huge front porch to take in the the beauty of lightning and sheets of rain. This love, however, is something we have learned through experiences. One in particular.

When I was a child we took a trip to Boston and went to a baseball game. It rained “cats and dogs.” So, we ended up purchasing large, blue plastic ponchos to keep dry. Rather than allowing the rain to ruin one of our favorite “American pastimes” we created a song while stomping in the puddles: “We love the rain!” (sung in a clever/unique tune, sung over and over again). As newer family members join and hear this story, they ask: “Where are all the lyrics?” My sister-in-law, Jill, and 3 year old nephew, Jacob, have attempted some very fine lyrics; we’re hoping to add them to our legendary song. Soon.

On another level, we believe “loving the rain” is the equivalent to embracing life for all it offers. The good. Bad. Sad. Fun. Ugly. Tragic. Beautiful. Wet!

We love the rain, indeed.

Happy belated father’s day.