{240 words}
 
"My mother always said it slows things down and cleans things up," she murmured, as she packed my groceries into the brown bag last night. I had mentioned the rain, making small talk at the checkout stand. It has been falling all week. "She passed when she was fifty-nine, but I still talk to her."

Last weekend I kept a promise to spend time with my dad. We went through boxes of family photographs I had not seen before, like the one of my grandparents on the day they married in 1931.

I never met my grandmother Inez; she passed when she was sixty, just before I was born. But her wedding picture reveals curly brown hair (like mine) and I wish I could talk to her.

The misty rain this week has made straightening these curls an exercise in futility. Today I left them alone and put on a dress. With one hand on my hip, I tried to smile into my camera the way I imagine Inez smiled into hers: that look she has of hope, curiosity, uncertainty, courage.

Life is quickening now. We are heading into spring, and the whole Northern Hemisphere is roaring back to life. New projects and plans take on a life of their own. It does seem harder to slow down in March, have you noticed?

Perhaps the rain is here to remind us. Perhaps the rain is how our grandmothers whisper, "Slow down, dear ones. Enjoy this life."

xo
laura

Laura Lowery is the founder, editor and publisher of Lucia. She does her best to lead a creative life. Whether triumphant or stumbling, Laura shares daily notes (that are often weekly) here on luciajournal, including stories, behind-the-scenes happenings, little doses of inspiration, and large quantities of curiosity and heart. She is pleased to meet you.