The Rainbow

“Walk time?”

Simba’s ears perked up and his tiny paws scrambled frantically towards the front door. I signed off my hundredth email, closed my laptop and gazed out into the sunset. Heaven’s colours seemed fuzzier than usual. Zoom fatigue.

Rubbing my dry eyes, I trudged towards Simba who was now bouncing on his hind legs, tongue hanging with exuberant joy. My heart chuckled amused. Unlike my Maltese Shitzu, my heart felt as stiff as my joints and my mind cluttered with a month’s worth of worry. In a world laden by loss, Simba’s joy is always refreshing.

As soon as the leash hooked the collar, I was dragged outside into the crisp evening air. While Simba dived nose-first to the ground to catch up on The Daily Dog, my eyes scanned the long stretch of dull, grey pavement–wistful for new signs of life and hope.

We passed several pedestrians on the footpath. Their faces were hidden behind masks and their nervous eyes avoidant of mine. We passed rooms of families gathered around the dinner table. I breathed in the warmth of their company while my heart ached for loved ones on the other side of closed borders.

Although darkness was quickly descending, Simba’s curious nose pulled us onward towards a trail of brightly coloured footprints that led to the foot of a giant rainbow. I looked up and saw the beaming artists waving from the front door. Even behind a fly screen, I felt their kind welcome.

For a moment, I saw the world from their innocent eyes. There was no hint of anger or anxiety, fear or fatigue. Their shoulders weren’t weighed down by the pressures of a pandemic. Instead of feeling like a threat, their ‘hello’ made me feel like a neighbour–and an extremely lucky girl who had stumbled upon a rainbow. Softened by their smiles, my heart began to hum.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
way up high
there’s a land that I’ve heard of,
once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
skies are blue,
and the dreams that you dare to
dream really do come true.

As a child, this song would refresh my smile and bring a spring back into my step. As an adult, the words have a richer and new meaning, for I now know the divine promises behind every rainbow. God is faithful and there really is a land where dreams come true–overflowing with milk and honey. For a moment, I felt like the heavens had burst open with chalky colour, to encourage my weary heart to drink deep from the promises of eternity.

That night, I returned home with new strides. I sang and I sang–reminding my weary heart that there will be a day where troubles will melt like lemon drops and that after every storm, comes a rainbow.

What makes you smile in this season?
Let me know in the comments below!