The city of Houston, Harris County and other parts of Texas have had a rough week.
I count myself among the lucky.
The Houston Storm and Flood of April 2016
After a few days to begin drying out the rain returned for a while this afternoon.
The day began partly cloudy and so I hopped on my bike, even though its brakes appear to be loose or shot and pedaled, carefully, 10 miles or so to church at The Story of Houston for the first time since Easter.
Storyteller Visits The Story, to Hear a Story About THE Story of Easter
After church I headed out with the intention of stopping by REI to ask about the costs of either a brake tune-up or part replacements and to see what they had in the way of back racks and grocery panniers.
A few blocks from the store it began to rain so I holed up in a Jack in the Box to read Writer's Digest and the Houston Press..
The rain just got harder and at one point there was even thunder. After 90 min. the storm let up long enough for me to reach REI before briefly resuming.
While I got answers about my brake costs there were no panniers to check out in store, unlike on their website...making any future decision about what to buy more difficult.
When the rain stopped I headed for home at last.
As I was pedaling up Bellaire Blvd. at Gessner I glanced up at the sky and saw something that made me quickly pull over into a parking lot and reach for my cell phone camera.
I get inspiration in the most unexpected ways; Things I hear, things I read...and things I see and encounter can give me ideas for poems, songs, stories, writing prompts, essays, photos, and videos.
Look at the image...do you see what I see? 2 eyes, a nose and a very wide smile, even a cap on top of the head, tilted at an angle.
At first sight the eyes were more apart, but by the time I was able to take the photo I was laughing.
As I continued on my way home I could not stop thinking about what I saw and its possible meaning.
The message that popped into my head made me laugh again, but also gave me the idea of tying it to the series of 30 blog posts I wrote last November.
The series was on the topic of "never giving up" and the message of this image can serve as a nice follow-up for those who finish the series and an encouragement to maybe check out the series for those who see this first.
When God smiles down on you from Heaven, take it as a good sign...
Even if it appears He may be going cross-eyed.
****UPDATE - Evening, June 2, 2016****
The city of Houston, Harris County, surrounding counties, and other parts of Texas are having another rough week and expect a very wet Friday through Monday as well... flooding due to lots and lots of rain is the order of every day.
Last evening, around 830pm, as I waited for a bus at Beechnut and Wilcrest, I glanced up at the clouds and clearly saw the Smile of God once again...
As I turned on my cell cam his cheek began to get a little cloudy, but you can still see Him smiling....
2 eyes and a very quirky smile. :-D
Texas and Houston may be getting soaked, but don't get discouraged...trust in God that all will work out and that He is looking out for you.
****END UPDATE**
****UPDATE - Afternoon, June 13, 2016****
As I arrived at work, this afternoon, and glanced up at a dark, cloudy, sky, I saw yet another one....the Smile of God....this time it was a side shot of the head...a jutting chin and bulbous nose, bringing attention to a wide, humor-filled, smile or laugh...and one eye...by the time I got my cell ready to take a pic to share it was too late as the eye was closed and the nose had broken off.
****END UPDATE**
Follow-up Oct. 2016:
Don't Let the Sun Set on Your Dreams...Never Give Up!
That is a great photo. I didn't see it until I read your description, but now I do.
Posted by: Ellen Pilch | April 25, 2016 at 10:15 PM