running in the rain

i’ve learned one or two things about myself since coming here to the dominican republic. one of them is that i like running in the rain. it is hurricane season right now and september is the worst, so we’re in no shortage of falling water. i went for one of these runs today to the shouts of “TU ERES LOCO!” from my dominican brothers and a very puzzled look on my host mom’s face. i went toward civilization today (yes, i have that choice, its nice). people shouted from the shops and colmados on the way, but mostly they just stared at the crazy gringo running in the rain. i just kept running and running and after a while i had an inexplicable grin on my face as i went. i think it was because the wind picked up and the storm got stronger and by this point i was almost running in a river that was cascading down the hill i climbed. God is so powerful. i love displays of nature that exhibit just a snatch of what he is capable of. i passed the main business district of my area on my return trip and a friend on a moto offered me a ride. i just smiled and kept running. he laughed. as i came to the end of my street, i saw there were kids playing in the road. this reminded me of growing up on Royal Birkdale Overlook (my street in austin). as i came near, a couple of them, dressed only in their underwear, made ready to race me to the corner where i always finish my run with a last sprint. it was a good day. Thank you Lord for these experiences. as i came back to the house to stretch, i stood on one leg and looked at the trees as they swayed. what can man do to make all the trees sway at once like that? a bomb? dropping a  large tractor from the sky in a forest? God has the wind and the rain. God is so creative.