No Rain, No Rainbows

This is the land of rainbows.  I don't think I've ever been here when I haven't seen a rainbow.  In fact, we often see double rainbows.  And they're not just portions of a rainbow-the entire rainbow is usually visible.

My husband took this photo of a double rainbow, as well as the other pictures in this post, near Glass Beach, one of my favorite places on Kauai.   At the end of this rainbow, there is no pot of gold.  Instead, there is a red dirt cliff imbedded with vintage garbage.  You can't see the garbage anymore.  It's been decades since people brought their trash here to burn next to the ocean.  What you can see is beach glass.  The sand itself is made of tiny pieces of polished glass.  When the sun shines on it, it's quite beautiful.  When I walk along the beach here, I look for little remnants of glistening jewels.  Each one that I discover is as valuable as a diamond to me.

As I prepare to leave this lovely island, I cannot help but feel sad.  It's more than just a vacation place for me.  I have come here many times to renew my soul.  I used to visit Kauai to recover from a year at a stressful job but this time it was different.  This time, we came to heal after losing three cats. Tabbytha, Buggles, and Leonard died within the past nine months.  We had nursed them for over a year, knowing that the end was inevitable.  The reason that we were free to leave home for ten days is due to the fact that all three have passed away.

There's a phrase I live by.  No rain, no rainbows.  It seems so true in every part of life.  Without the rain, there wouldn't be majestic colors in the sky.  Without the garbage, there would be no beach glass.  Of course, without the wonderful moments of sharing our lives with people and animals we love, there would be no grief.  But I wouldn't want to trade those happy experiences for anything, even though I know that there will be loss attached.

I'm flying home today.  When I arrive in Southern California, I'll try to remember that you wouldn't have any rainbows if it wasn't for the rain.  Aloha!