The Rain’s Song

It was raining when Little Pine woke in the morning.  He loved the way the round little drops slid down his green needles and hung at their tips like pearls, reflecting the world all upside down.

After breakfast, he decided to visit the lake.   In a way, he giggled to himself, the lake was like a giant raindrop.  It held the world upside down, too.  He found his favorite spot, next to a big granite boulder, and sat down to watch the show.

It was a light, gentle rain, and the drops drew little circles as they slipped below the lake’s surface.  Then the circles spread themselves out in wonderful curving ripples that grew larger and fainter until they finally disappeared.  It was really quite beautiful, Little Pine thought.

But even more beautiful was the rain’s song.  It was a soothing sound, almost a whisper, like the sound of a faint breeze dancing through summer leaves.

Little Pine stilled his breath to hear it more clearly, listening with all his being.  The song made the world seem more luminous somehow, and larger.  The boundaries that separated him from the lake, the forest, and the sky almost seemed to disappear.

He sat listening for a very long time, lost in the beauty of the sight and the song.  His heart filled with a sweet and spacious tenderness that he couldn’t quite name.

But when he finally rose to return home, he noticed the tiny waves lapping against the lake’s shore.  And listening very closely, he heard their clear, small voices singing, “Peace.  Peace.  Peace.”