We've been in a drought here in Minnesota. Thankfully, we’ve had a few rainfalls recently, but we're still not out of it. On the local late evening news a couple weeks ago, a farmer was interviewed who said that any rain that comes now is too late for this year's crops, but it prepares the way for the crops of next year. He called it a recharge. The water that comes will wait deep in the ground to sustain what hasn't even yet been planted.
"That recharge is so important," said the farmer. "You can get by that first year but you got to have something down in the ground for the roots to go after."
This rings of truth for more than the growth of corn and soybeans, as important as that growth is. The next morning I thought about recharging rain as a metaphor and wrote "Anticipatory hydrating" in my journal, "Hydrating for the future." Think of all that needs to be stored up in one's soul, in one's thoughts and habits, to grow the roots that will sustain the future. Taking care to store it up is an act of hope.
“Thou takest the pen – and the lines dance. Thou takest the flute – and the notes shimmer.
Thou takest the brush – and the colors sing. So all things have meaning and beauty in that space beyond where Thou art.
How, then, can I hold anything back from Thee.”
— Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings
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