April 2026

April Thought of the Month

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

~ Vivian Greene

We choose how we react when things don't go as planned. Responses range from giving up to complaining to finding ways to get the job done despite the barriers. One of the most famous scenes in a Hollywood musical is a soaked Gene Kelly dancing with an umbrella in Singing in the Rain. I read that he had a fever of 103 degrees during that shoot. You wouldn't know it watching the movie. He rose above daunting circumstances to give one of his best performances with joy.

Today we face circumstances that not long ago would have been unimaginable. And there are no signs that it will get easier anytime soon. It's scary, but we can't afford to let fear and uncertainty paralyze us. Life's burdens don't get lighter on their own or while we wait for things to improve. We need to be active participants in getting through the storms of hard times.

Like Gene Kelly, dancing in our storms is a mix of hard work and finding the joy, within us if it isn't around us, that sustains us through to something better. Hard times come. And they go. Remember, when we find ways to dance, the journey between the coming and the going will be easier.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]