Look for a Rainbow

Some years ago, I made a right turn onto a local street and was confronted with an amazing sight. There, arching across the sky ahead of me were not one, but two huge rainbows, one entire bow clearly visible and the second one a bit fainter above it. It’s not unusual to see a portion of a rainbow – a part of its leg or maybe the top of the arch partly obscured by clouds – but this was the whole enchilada, in duplicate.

I have an extravagant fondness for rainbows. Of course I learned the story of Noah and the Ark when I was very young, and always loved the idea that God’s “bow in the clouds” meant that he would never again destroy the earth by flood. I sang right along with Judy Garland on “Over the Rainbow” when I watched the Wizard of Oz, and with Kermit the Frog of Sesame Street when he sang “The Rainbow Connection.” I don’t collect rainbow magnets or key chains or drawings, but I sure do love the real thing.

Years ago my family was driving toward downtown Dallas when I saw a double rainbow. That was the first double I’d ever seen, and I was ecstatic. “Jack! Jill! Jo!” I cried. “Look, look – it’s a double rainbow! Think how many people are driving along and not even looking up, not appreciating how beautiful it is! Isn’t it incredible? Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Mom,” said my ever-practical daughter Jill, “take it easy.”

Serendipity is the unexpected gift that catches us by surprise and lifts our spirits. It’s the little grace note that enhances the music of life. I find serendipity in lots of places – my grandson’s grin as he teases me, a raccoon scratching at the back door to get our attention, an unexpected letter from a far-away friend. It’s easier than you might think to find those gifts when you’re looking for them, when you’re paying attention, and you should be grateful when they arrive.

I thought it was a plain old Monday until I turned that corner, and then it was a Great Gift day. So keep your eyes open: maybe one of these days you’ll turn a corner and see a rainbow. And if it’s a double rainbow: hey, even at the risk of having your child think you’ve taken leave of your senses, get a little excited. You won’t regret it.

I promise.

(Dallas Morning News Neighbors 12-03-05)