Sweet Rain

I'm up really late tonight. It's hard to sleep with no air conditioner. Our air conditioner died yesterday and it won't be fixed until Tuesday. Our windows are open and it's raining outside and the sound of the rain is quite soothing and relaxing. There is a fresh breeze that blows in now and then and it feels just heavenly. Since we live about 10 feet away from a busy road we hear many vehicles driving by splashing water on the road. Occasionally there is a loud siren. Everything seems much louder at night when the birds and most people are fast asleep. Sleeping with our windows open brings back memories of childhood. Some of my relatives live in a little town called Eagle Pass right on the border of Mexico. When I was young we used to visit my dad's aunt or my mom's aunt in Eagle Pass. We would often have to share a bed at night when it was time to sleep and all the windows would be open. My mom's aunt also lived by a busy road and I remember hearing cars driving by as well. I remember it being a pleasant time just laying in bed listening to the sounds around me and the comfort of my family right next to me. There was a sense of safety with family gathered in one room. I miss those days. I sometimes get a strong mourning feeling in my chest when I reminisce about times in my life that have come and gone, like remembering a loved one who has passed away and knowing you won't see them again, at least not in the flesh. Some people can hear a song and it will bring back memories of an event but I can see an object that resembles something from childhood or have a sensory experience, like sleeping with a window open and a rush of memories and pleasant feelings of childhood will return. I'm grateful to be able to remember special memories.
The photo above is a fern with water droplets. I photographed it at the African Violet Nursery in Boerne.