I heard it before I was fully awake, the sound of the torrential rain outside. When I brought the boys downstairs they stood and looked at it like they’d never seen rain before. Then it got heavier and the sky turned darker and it turned to hail, hammering on the decking and the newly roofed summerhouse and the windows as the boys watched on.

So we accepted and embraced the hunkering down on a slow Saturday morning. Some of us played on screens.

Whilst some of us packed up our ‘car’ to go on holiday. The packing strategy involved picking up boxes and tipping them in the ‘boot’, climbing in their seats and then shouting ‘we need food!!!’. They then ran around grabbing all the food from the toy kitchen and jumped back in the car, waved, and headed off to who knows where.

It gave a little insight into how our children perceive holiday preparations. Possibly quite accurate.

I think I achieved my own personal best of staying in my pyjamas until 11am. I just don’t do it. But today it seemed like there really was nowhere else better to be than under a blanket in the lounge with my books and my crochet and my family mayhem around me.

I got myself into gear then, and made some pizza bagels for lunch.

After lunch the kids had a film, Megan can never resist a Disney to sing along to, and will often be found sneaking in with the younger ones to snuggle a sibling and sing.

Meanwhile I got started on Maisie’s requested birthday cake – a tower of rainbow crêpes. Maddie came and saw me mixing up the colours and asked what potion I was making? A rainbow making one, I replied.

Our lovely friends came to drop something off, and ended up in a long distance nerf battle with Micah. Well, it wasn’t much of a battle as he was the only one with a gun. Which he very quickly shot over the fence. The children so miss interaction with the fabulous people we’re blessed to have in our lives. It brightened their – and our day to have a brief two metre play and chat.

Afterwards, I carried on flipping rainbow crêpes, and was frequently interrupted by various characters. Here I give you Toothless the dragon, Batman, and Hiccup, the dragon rider. I was also visited by Luna Lovegood, a unicorn, and Ghekko from PJ Masks. All in a day’s entertainment.

This evening we were on week 5 of Marvel films, watching Thor. The adults were reprimanded by the children for being on our phones, hence why I had to give my full attention to the film and wait to write until I’d said goodnight to the kids and decorated for Maisie’s birthday tomorrow.

I sometimes think about the things we’ve gained in lockdown that we wouldn’t have otherwise. I doubt we would have committed to the Marvel films. The weeks were so busy and often on Saturday nights Liam and I would either be seeing friends, or eating a late dinner to catch up with each other. There’s something special about these nights, and the kids determination that we watch it with them shows how important it is to them that we’re invested.

As I was watching the rain fall this morning, I thought of my car drive with Maddie yesterday, where she noticed the dry grass on the borders of the dual carriageway, and asked me why it was so brown. After so many weeks of beautiful sun, the earth needed rain today.

It felt like a picture of the world we’re in, dry and thirsty and weary in these days. Worn out of the impact of the virus, of hearing negative news. Waiting with parched lips for hope of change, of freedom from these hard days.

1 “But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!
2 Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. – Isaiah 44:1-3

But the rain comes to a dry and parched ground, and hope comes to a weary world. The God who created us hasn’t forgotten us. The God who sent His Son to a broken world is a God of promise and hope, who waters the earth with His love and will bring freedom, joy and community once again. Keep looking for rainbows, keep holding onto hope.