Just through the red door lies a mystical place where live the little known creatures, the ones the world looks upon as myth and legend.  In this realm, they live and breathe, just the same as you and I.  Journey with me through the red door, to the place of imagination and we will find a new dimension of reality.

The new day calls out with an invitation from those beyond the door.  It is they who wish to meet us and share their tales!

I hear Grandpa Ansel, a respected elder, greeting the new day, in his usual fashion.

“Hark noble ones of the realm!”

On a day such as this I was unsure if I would see anyone as I opened the red door and entered Rehoboth.  The great branches swayed as the wind whipped in frenzy.  Under a gray and laden sky, sheets of rain soaked my slicker with each gust.  Despite of nature’s fury, Rehoboth drew me, and I could not stay away.

Feet sliding in the rivulets now running down the dirt track, I pressed on toward the palace grounds and gardens.  Amid the raging weather, peace still pervaded this place.

Round the last bend, my eyes beheld a sight.  Surely every garden gnome was out in the storm, dancing and singing amid peals of laughter!  I thought to myself, whatever possesses these wee folk?  As I came into sight, several of my friends waved, beckoning me to join their madness!

Contagious best describes their joy and soon enough I was stomping along in the mud and the puddles.  Face fully to the sky, arms thrown wide, I joined their enthusiasm in the dance! 

Soon Grandpa Ansel dashed off with a wave and a holler.  “Follow me!”  The wily sage knew well where to go to warm himself and dry out.  The fires never went out in the blacksmith shop!

Crowding in, dripping and sniffling, vying for position closest to the fires, Grandpa let us settle and said, “Draw near dear ones.  Gather close and hear the wisdom of age, for you have just begun and have much to learn.”  With flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes, he applauded our outdoor performance and began, “What a glorious celebration of life we’ve had today!”  This statement met with a resounding cheer from one and all.

Grandpa continued, “It is an easy thing to sing and laugh when the sun is shining and all is going well, but to sing in the darkness and rain, that reveals the true joy of life.  Only by knowing we can withstand the storm can we hold tight to all that is still good and right in our world.  If we live long enough, we learn that every storm runs out of rain, just as we learn that night is darkest right before sunrise.”

“Why do we go out and dance in the rain, Grandpa?” asked little Aved.  I, for one, was grateful for the question since our ‘rain-dance’ seemed quite ridiculous to me.

“This rain is as necessary to Rehoboth as is the sun, Aved.  It is every bit as worthy of being celebrated for the life it brings as the sun is.  There is nothing in all of creation that does not need water.

Long ago, according to a legend in the Book of Mysteries, there was a time when no rain fell upon the earth and the water all came up from beneath the ground.  Then, one day, a great flood came upon all creation, wiping out almost every living thing.

There are tremendous bodies of water beyond the realm of Rehoboth, it is said, and they now hold all the waters that once flooded the creation.”

“Is the legend true, Grandpa?” Galen asked.

“I reckon it is.  I also reckon it has never happened again,” answered Grandpa Ansel.  “Too much rain can be as damaging as not enough, so we gnomes honor its life giving qualities, believing it will stop and the sun will return and play its role in the great scheme of growing.  We are garden gnomes and we grow things and it is a privilege to live where we have both sun and rain.

We dance because we know the sun is still in the sky even when we can’t see it.  We sing because the rain is needed between the times of sun and heat.

Like the sun, obscured by clouds, our joy can become hidden by darkness and challenges.  It still exists even through we struggle to find it.  The well of joy is bottomless, echoing with our laughter and song, and there are times we must lower the bucket deeply to bring that joy to the surface.  Our singing and dancing in the rain is the act of finding our joy even in inclement weather.  This is our way of remembering all that is still good in our lives, even in adversity, and we can express our gratitude for the good.  In this way, we can push the darkness and struggles aside and allow the proverbial clouds to part and reveal joy.”

Quite miraculously, as Grandpa Ansel finished speaking, it dawned on all of us that the noise of the wind and rain had ceased.  In the silence, someone threw open the door of the blacksmith shop to reveal the brightness afforded by the parting clouds!

Reference:

Ps 100:4 (Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.)

Ps 30:5(For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.)

Phil 4:4(Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!)