And the 4th President is...

My maiden voyage as a virgin voter began at 5 am on Monday morning, the 4th of March. You know, its funny that all this terminologies describing a first-time voter all refer to the women. (I didn't come up with them by the way..)
Anywho, it was my first time to vote and be part of such an important event in our country. So you can only imagine my excitement! :D

My mother and I cleverly picked a polling station that was a stone throw away from home, only to discover that Monday morning that we weren't so clever after all. It was still dark when we walked out of the gate, but we could already see cars parked by the side of the road and an unusually large number of people for that time of the morning.

We got to the gate of our local primary school and the queue that was there, at 5:50am was unbelievable!! It snaked all the way down School lane, turned left onto Karuna road and up Lower Kabete road. Searching for the end of the line was like looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It seemed to be running away from us! Even the people in the queue felt sorry for us.

"Msijali, mko karibu kufika!" said one of them.

"Iko mpaka Westgate, tembeeni tu!" came another word of 'encouragement'.

Now, if you don't know where Westgate is from Westlands Primary, its about 1.2km away. That's like a 15-20 minute walk. That's how far the queue stretched. People were literally running to get to the end of it. Dawn had even broken by the time we took our positions at the end of the line.

At first, standing in line and laughing at those who came after us was all the fun we needed. They all wore such shocked expressions at how far the back of the line was, that it was impossible not to laugh. Those who drove by rolled down their car windows to ask, "Is this for Westlands Primary?" and we'd give a huge smile and say, "Yes!" Oh the joy of being ahead of many tens of people!! It was enough to forget there were hundreds more ahead of you.

It got even better when after a few hours, we removed flasks of tea, styrafoam cups and slices of cake, to have our breakfast on the road. One lady ahead of us eyed our goods enviously and said, "You guys even carried breakfast?" Yup. Scouts' motto: Always be prepared.

Stretching down Karuna Rd

After two more hours of standing in one place, moving a few metres, chatting on and off with random Kenyans, even a first-time enthusiastic voter like me was starting to get tired and discouraged. By the time the sun was beating on our backs, we'd only gotten to the beginning of School Lane.
Finally, after 3 and a half hours, what had seemed impossible, happened! We were at the gate of Westlands Primary aka the polling station! :) Little did we know, the queue was just as long inside the school compound!

Inside Westlands Primary

Then came the confusion of being lined up alphabetically. The clerk who looked at my ID didn't seem to be able to decipher my name. "Sheena Mpungu," he read. I nodded. He frowned quizically, and asked," So which one is your first name?"

Really? Doesn't the first name appear first on all IDs?
The good thing though is that after he'd figured out my first name was Sheena, I was separated from my people and sent to 'Stream 10'. Luckily enough for me, Stream 10 was among the shortest queues outside a polling room! Apparently not many people have names starting with 'R' and 'S'. Or maybe its just the people in Westlands constituency.

And half an hour later, my finger print had been scanned, my name crossed out in that large book and I had somehow figured out how to use those humongous, numerous ballot papers. I'm not surprised there are so many spoilt votes. Even an educated, well-read citizen like myself got confused when I started looking at all those names and pictures on the ballot papers! And I'd even read on the whole voting procedure the day before in preparation!

my proud pinkie!

Now as all other Kenyans sit in front their Tvs anxiously watching numbers change, I'm not really bothered. I mean, we've all voted for who we wanted to vote for. So now, all we can do is wait. We can't change the results, however hard we may want to try. So let's just wait peacefully and patiently and be willing to accept the leader who wins.

Chagua Kenya.

In Anticipation

Make it stop, bring it all to an end,

Make it better, walk me towards the mend,

Help me rise, that I may walk again,

Let me soar and not have to tread this ground again.

I wait for You, for what You've promised,

Its not easy but I keep on waiting.

Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

That's me

The Amazing Race: Fourteen Falls edition

If you love reality shows, especially reality game shows, then I'm sure you've heard of the Amazing Race. If you haven't, then you're missing out! 'The Amazing Race' is simply a competition that couples sign up for; it could be friends, spouses, partners, siblings, or parent and child. A location in the world is picked and the game requires the two people to work as a team and travel around that location with the aim of getting to their destination before the other teams do.

Well, I had my own taste of 'The Amazing Race' when I visited Fourteen Falls near Thika yesterday. I'd been dying (okay, not really) but reaally yearning to go to Fourteen Falls, particularly with my boyfriend. So you can imagine my joy when he surprised me with yesterday's trip! I was elated!  Now, keep in mind we really weren't 100% sure of how to get there but we were up for the adventure...and that's exactly what we got!

We took a matatu from Nairobi's CBD headed to Thika which took us about half an hour. From Thika town, we had to ask for directions, so we decided to ask one of the matatu drivers standing nearby. I've always loved how Kenyans give directions :) so helpful. When we asked the driver where we can get matatus going to Fourteen Falls, he asked us, "Mnajua Yushop?". My boyfriend and I looked at each other quizically and said, "Ati?"
         "Yushop! Hamjui?"
 When we replied in the negative, the driver then embarked on giving us directions, Kenyan-style, with lots of   pointing and gesturing and help from his tout.
       
        "Mchukue ile barabara..main road na muendelee nayo, for about 100m, mpaka mfike round-a-bout kubwa. Mpite iyo round-a-bout alafu mtapata bumps mbili alafu mtaona petrol station inaitwa Kenol. Hapo kwa petrol station, hapo Kenol, mtaona magari."

And so after stifling our smiles and offering our thanks, we took to the kind man's directions, and after what seemed like a long stretch on Thika's 'Kenyatta highway', we got to the round-a-bout and from there we could see the Kenol petrol station. Thank goodness for good directions!

The matatu stop had a board with its destinations written on it. I still can't get over how they'd written Fourteen Falls :D
      "F4 Falls"
Should have taken a photo! Anyway...

We got one a mat that was almost leaving but still had empty seats. Fare was 100kshs per person so we figured Fourteen Falls must be quite a distance away from Thika town. It turned out to be just as far as we imagined it to be, though the distance may have been a little exaggerated by the rickety, overcrowded 14-seater matatu with heavy goods on its already sagging roof. And do you know we ended up coming back in the same matatu? But let me not get ahead of myself.

Eventually, we got to the entrance of Fourteen Falls and squeezed out of the matatu. What we saw before us was like a scene from a western...three buildings, all deserted but in good condition, and one woman, sitting alone just outside one of the buildings. My boyfriend went to speak to her and thankfully, she was another helpful citizen. When he came back I asked him what she said and he told me,"She said we follow this dirt road until we hear a mighty rushing sound. Then we follow that sound and we'll be there." We were amused by choice of words, 'mighty, rushing sound' but understood them the instance we heard it for ourselves. Just like it is with many water bodies, you hear them before you see them. The falls are no exception.

The entry point where you're charged 

Once you're in and you've sweet-talked your way out of the ridiculous camera charge, your first view is a big rushing river and people gathered in groups, enjoying themselves or looking for customers/guides. My boyfriend and I stood looking at the river, wondering what to do next, but we didn't wonder too long. A local guide approached us and asked us if we wanted to do 'the adventure'. When we asked him what that was, he said it entailed crossing the river on foot, going down to the falls where he would dive for us, then leave us to picnic. After weighing the risks of drowning, slipping on the rocks, dying young...yadidadidada, we decided YOLO right? ;)

That's River Athi...rushing River Athi

Crossing that river was no easy feat! We all had to hold hands, go very slowly, step carefully and imitate the guide's footholds. Most times the rocks underwater were slippery with moss and we almost fell a couple of times. At some points the river was knee-deep, at others, thigh-deep. I was the one in the middle of the two men, Bahati (our guide) and my boyfriend so Bahati kept telling me, "Madame, onyesha mister pahali pa kunyanga." Whenever I'd slip he'd say, "Wee! Madame, usituangushe!"
     Occasionally, he'd remark,"Madame! Usimwache mister!" and I'd reply, "Sitamwacha!"

The group ahead of us, taking the daring river crossing!

It was sooo much fun but it needed a lot of teamwork. I was constantly warning my sweetheart when the rocks were slippery, telling him to step where my foot is even if it meant he would step on my toes. It's amazing we had time to take photos!

Us and our guide, Bahati

Finally, we saw what we'd journeyed all that way for...the Fourteen Falls. I'm not sure what hits you first; the sight of the water or the sound of it. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and if I may blow my own trumpet, I've seen a lot for someone my age. There's big black rocks everywhere and the closer you get to the falls, the more you feel the fine mist in the air. Amazing.

THE 14 (sometimes 20+ ) FALLS

Elated :D

Our guide asked us to count the falls and tell him how many we thought they were. I counted 15, my boyfriend counted 16. Bahati (the guide) told us there were more than 20! He said that often happens when it has rained and there's lots of water. It's during the dry season that they reduce and remain 14. There's your 'Did you know?' for the day!

Side view of the falls

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, despite the long journey there and back (in the same rickety matatu I might add!), walking on hot rocks barefoot, the heat and the dust. I would definitely do it all again, in a heartbeat.
That's why I would advise you all to go see the Fourteen Falls. You don't have to take 'the adventure' if you don't want to, but please do try and go out of your comfort zone, even if it's just a little. You can take a boat ride or carry your costume and swim. I promise you, it'll be fun!!

Just a piece of advice...ladies, dress in something you won't mind getting wet, dirty or torn. So leave the dresses, skirts, jumpsuits, heels, dressy sandals and other unnecessary, uncomfortable paraphanelia for another day.

Men, this is a perfect excuse to hold the hand of the one you love as you help her navigate those rocky paths! ;) Also, there's something about nature that just calms you and gives you peace of mind..the perfect recipe for romance. ;) So why waste what God has freely given us?

A guide doing a back flip into the water

 Go to the Fourteen Falls! Don't take any unnecessary risks. Enjoy nature, keep healthy as you do it and stay happy!!


   

View from the boat

And we stumble on...with Your help

For the first few years of our lives, we don't get to decide on most issues concerning ourselves.
We're dressed, bathed, told when to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, what to wear, where to go, how to walk and talk. We're shown the good spots to 'hang out', warned against friends who are 'bad influences' and pushed towards those who are 'good influences'.
Then slowly, we're given over to our own devices...for some, it takes longer than others, but it always happens eventually.
Finally, we can pick our friends, pick what to wear, where to go, when we can go. No longer do we have to give a detailed description of our day. We can just say," It was really great!" and then close up again.

The thing is, I doubt we really understand how to make these choices for ourselves. After having had them made for you for so long, I don't understand how they expect us to just take over and be right all the time.

It takes a lot of trial and error, stumbles and scrapes but eventually we get there. We're faced with a hurdle, manage to jump over it successfully and feel so proud of ourselves that we look around to see if everyone noticed. We look around, no one was watching; no one noticed. Disappointed, we go on with life, feeling like nothing big has happened, because that's exactly how the world regarded it.

We like to tell ourselves that we're different, but really, we're all the same. We all face the same issues, go about tackling them the same way. All of us human beings came from the soil, and we'll all go back to the same soil. The things that differentiate us also identify us and we definitely should embrace our unique qualities.

We all go through the same motions; we're born, raised, or in some cases, raise ourselves, gain our independence, fall in love, get hurt and/or hurt others, eventually settle down. Then comes engagement, then pregnancy (for us women) and your status changes. You're now a husband or a wife. That's not always the order, but it follows through, one way or another.

If all goes well, and you've found true love, you live a long life together, raise your family and probably die within a few years of each other.

And then what?

Walking through History

I still find it amazing that I'm studying World history after my trip around some of France's historical sites. It makes the history lessons come more alive!

To think, that I walked through the gates of the Chateau de Versailles, the very same gates that the French citizens marched through during the French Revolution..

 










I was in the palace...walking the same corridors walked by King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette! In fact, here's the very room she slept in...and the door she used to escape the raging mob.

That's actual silk on the bed and alcove . Oh la la! :D

Walked in the gardens they strolled in...these ducks and swan may even be descendants of the birds in King Louis XVI's day!

Twirled in the Hall of Mirrors, which must have hosted beautiful balls in its hey-day. (A Cinderella story perhaps? ;) )

Don't we make lovely princesses?



And I still can't believe they used all that to bury Napoleon Bonaparte. I mean, wasn't he a very short man?

Here us, on a final stroll along L'Allee Royale 

* All photos were taken by Yours truly! Except the ones I'm in, of course :)

Necessity is the mother of INNOVATION

Ever since the government decided to bring in a new Traffic Act, the public service system in Nairobi has almost come to a standstill. I've been trying to make sense of this matatu strike and maybe it's just me, but I don't think anyone is gaining from it; neither the matatu guys nor the rest of us stranded citizens.
I mean, wouldn't it just be easier to comply to the rules, live and drive in a safer environment and still get your pay at the end of the day? Can anyone tell me what their grievances are?

The best thing about human things though is, for every bad egg, there's a basketful of good ones. And this matatu strike has just shown how innovative Kenyans are. We now have a carpool system where people are offering each other rides in a safe and legit way. If you need a ride, just tweet your location and destination with the hashtag #carpoolke or check out the site https://carpoolke.crowdmap.com/main

So proud to be Kenyan right now!

Love really is worth it...especially God's love

Francesca Battistelli must have been inspired cause she's definitely inspired me :)

This is a beautiful song.

So long by Francesca Battistelli

I used to daydream that I could be free
And far away from all the pain in this world
A little understanding
A hand to hold me
I was wrapped up in my doubt
But all that changed when you came around

[Chorus]
So long all that lonely living
That something that was missing isn’t missing anymore
So long to the way that wasn’t working
And the hurting that was all I knew
It’s all gone so long as I have you

Still have the hard times when nothing’s going right
Just wanna pull the covers over my head
You gave me a new perspective
When the days get heavy and I feel rejected
There’s someone to run to
Since the day that I found you

[Chorus]
So long all that lonely living
That something that was missing isn’t missing anymore
So long to the way that wasn’t working
And the hurting that was all I knew
It’s all gone so long as I have you

So long to the mornings without meaning
The nights without sleeping
I’m right where I belong

[Chorus]
So long all that lonely living
That something that was missing isn’t missing anymore
So long to the way that wasn’t working
And the hurting that was all I knew
It’s all gone so long as I have you

What we forsake

 
Been thinking about God's ever gracious nature and how audacious we are as human beings to take it so lightly. It's even worse for us Christians because we know, we're not ignorant like those who do not know about God, those who do not share a personal relationship with Him.
We know how dark our lives were,
               how deeply we were entangled in sin
               how lost we were...
 before we realised Christ died to save us from ourselves, to bring us to the light.

The creator of all the universe, of everything we have, everything we see
Made Himself like us...
Can you imagine? A being such as who God is, taking the form of us weak mortals?

And not just to live and suffer and go through hard stuff like we do everyday
But to bear ALL our sins? All however-many-billion... actually, He died for everyone, even those yet to be born
So that's more than 7 billion 'people-loads' of sin
All on one person, one 'man-God', one God personified...

And yet we still sin
 We still go ahead and do what we know is not right..
I'm amazed at our behaviour,
      amazed at my own audacity

It's really baffling that I'm still alive
  And if I am still alive, since I am still alive
The least I can do, is serve YOU

So Father Lord, even as You continually extend 
 Your grace towards me
You can use me, send me, call me,

          I'm Yours.

Happiness is...

I really do miss singing Sunday school songs. Here's one I remembered today:

Happiness is to know the Savior
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior
Happinesss is the Lord

Happiness is a new creation
Jesus in me in close relation
Having a part in His salvation
Happiness is the Lord
Real joy is mine
No matter if teardrops start,
I've found the secret --
It's Jesus in my heart!

Happiness is to be forgiven
Living the life that worth the living
Taking a trip that leads to heaven
Happiness is the Lord, Happiness is the Lord
Happiness is the Lord!

courtesy of http://www.hymnlyrics.org/lyricsh/happiness_is.html
 

Have you ever?

Have you ever reached what you thought was your end?

Have you ever sat down and asked "When will it ever mend?"

Ever felt like everywhere you turn, complications extend a hand?

A hand you'd rather not take, one you wish was never offered

I'm sure many of you are nodding, saying in your head,

"I've been there!"
    
         "I know that place too well"

Do I have good news for us? I just might

Cause what I do know is it always gets better

For sure.


Have you ever tried to track your progress in that place?

That place of doom and gloom and nothing good

Positive progress, where the cloudy sky is clearing?

Have you ever noticed that you don't always notice

Notice when things start to light up?

When the room starts to get warm?

When darkness loses its foreboding nature?

Ever thought of a brand new day

As a whitewashed wall?

A clean slate, a new start?

Seriously, have you ever wondered

why the Sun just doesn't appear in the sky?

Ever pondered?

On why She has to go through the process of rising up into the sky?

Have you ever realised?

Realised that everyone gets another chance?

So never give up.

It may seem hard, it may seem blurred

Soon enough, things will clear

And your question will turn around and be

"I never knew... I had such strength,

such faith, such a great support around me,

such a loving Lord and Creator

Had I never, would I have ever?"

Belgium on a public holiday: photo session

Here are a few photos, as promised!

We took the metro to town on Day 1...

 There was a whole fair being held at the park grounds to celebrate the public holiday. All sorts of stands were there including an entire dog show. Here are some adorable dogs I managed to capture on lens..

And watched the military parade for national day!!

The horses made a mess on the beautifully clean streets and right after them came, who would have guessed, a cleaning crew!!

I found myself wondering if we could ship one of these trucks to Kenya :)

As always with these military parades, there was a marching band.

I just love their feathered hats!

 I love how the incorporated the lion into the military uniform. Its an important symbol in Belgium which appears on their coat of arms as started by King Leopold II and putting it on the top of the flag poles is a stroke of genius. 

The architecture is also something out of this world. Here is a building in the city centre (Brussels)

I hope now you have a bit more of an idea as to what Belgium looks like in my eyes. More photos should be coming up as soon as possible!!

MY Summer in Belgium: DAY 2

So from the title you already know that I'm in Belgium!! This is the first time I've been in Europe so there's cause for lots of excitement on my part. When people say good friends are a treasure, they truly are. It's because of a good friend of mine that I'm here and I conquered everything that the embassy threw at me. Because of her and God working through people, I'm enjoying experiencing a whole new culture.

Naturally, most accounts should start with 'Day 1' but I'm going to mix it up a little. ;) It may also have something to do with the fact that I'm beginning this account on the second day...maybe just a little bit.

So today being a Sunday, I went with my friend and her family to church. They go to IBC which happens to be the same branch of church that my family used to go to when we lived in Dar-es-Salaam. I was so glad to hear that IBC was in Brussels too! The service was great and for the first time in my life, I was eager to stand up and introduce myself to the congregation, as is custom for visitors in most churches. I was eager to represent Kenya :) turns out though that I didn't need to do it for Kenya, just for myself because the moment I said I was from Kenya, the pastor remarked pleasantly ,"It looks like Kenyans are going to overtake us!" (or something to that effect)

Later, we went for pizza from 'Pizza Hut' and I got to see coupons in use for the first time with my own two eyes! That is definitely something we need to think introducing in Kenya...it can cut your purchase cost almost in half!

Being summer, the days are unusually long (unusual for me) so after playing sports games on Nintendo 'Wii', my friend, her siblings and I went to the nearest park in the neighbour hood. We played the traditional 3 sticks and had a great time chatting with a 6 year-old girl in a mixture of Dutch and French. (Thank you Alliance Francaise de Mombasa!!)

My day yesterday was more eventful what with it being a national holiday when there's a parade in the capital city. I know Kenya has its own parades but I'd never actually been to one until yesterday. Oh, the waiting was definitely tiring and seemed almost futile but it paid off. More so for the activities the military had organised than anything else. There was rock-climbing on an artificial rocks, lots of food stands and other things related to the military like looking for land mines and camouflaging...awesome experience for little boys. You know how boys get with military-related things...

And I got on a metro for the first time in my life! For those of you who don't know what a metro is, its pretty much like the American subway. You buy a ticket which gets you through the gate of the station, then you check to see what time your train's coming and wait for it to arrive. The metro has automatic doors and the driver's in a cabin by himself. Absolutely zero contact between the driver and the passengers. SO different from Kenya. Even the buses here have no conductors. You just get on the bus and slot in your bus card and take your seat. Easy peasy!!

Being in Europe is definitely an experience I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life. I can't wait to make more memories tomorrow!!! :) Photos will be coming soon.
Till then, a bientot!

Supernatural

There's a song done by a Christian rock band called 'Flyleaf'. The first time I heard this song, I was speechless. And right now, with all I'm going through, it's so appropriate it seems heaven-sent. Here are the lyrics:

 Her headaches
Constant
Increasing in pain with each passing day
She can't even manage to stand on her own
It's gotten so bad

Now you think of saying
There's no use in praying
Still she bows her head so she can say,
"Thank you for just one more day."

Supernatural patience
Graces her face
And her voice never raises
All because of a love
Never let go of
Never let go of

He has every reason to throw up his fists
In the face of his God who let his mother die
Through all the prayer and tears
She still passed in pain anyway

Now you think of saying
There's no use in praying
Still he bows head so he can say,
"Thank you for ending her pain."

Supernatural patience
Graces his face
And his voice never raises
It's all because of a love
Never let go of
Never let go of

He is teaching me
What love really means

Supernatural patience
Graces his face
And his voice never raises
It's all because of a love
Never let go of

Yes it's supernatural patience
Graces his face
And his voice never raises
All because of a love
Never let go of
Never let go of

He is teaching me
What love truly means 

Being sick is never pleasant. And it gets worse when the sickness is prolonged. The people who inspire me to be determined and work through it are a number. We begin of course, ultimately, with God. He' s the one who gives me the strength to move on everyday. He had also blessed me with the rest I'm about to list.

My family...in their own way, they help me push for more and not sit and settle down in self-pity.

My boyfriend and his cousin...by being in even bigger shoes, my boyfriend's cousin encourages me via the best gift I've gotten in a person of late, a.k.a, my boyfriend. If his cousin can fit in size 11 shoes, then my size 6 should be more than manageable. That last statement is figurative. :)

My ever-closest  friend... H.A.A, you may baby me a bit too much, but the fact that you do means a lot. You've taken care of me in more ways than I can count. Thank you for increasing my reasons to live.

Then there's other friends and random people like Phillip Phillips who won the last season of American Idol. He was sick a lot during the competition and had to perform amidst pain on many occasions but you would not have known, had they not mentioned it. So seeing someone as musically talented as him who overcame his sickness just encourages me even more. I love music. That should say everything.

Basically, I'm just counting my blessings. We used to sing a song in Sunday school, "Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done, count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

1 Thess. 5:18 says, " give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

So, whether you know Christ or not, whether you're born-again or not, whether you think God does not exist or you know He does, try it. Think of all the good things you have in your life. See how you feel after. And don't say you have nothing to be grateful for...everyone does. You just have to look beyond what you see!

The scars of yesterday, the joy of tomorrow

She sat still, so still that she looked like a statue.
She sat cross-legged on the concrete wall that formed the boundary of the beautiful cliff-side house. Just after her crossed knees was a 200 metre drop that did not seem to bother her. After the drop was a beautiful green valley that seemed to go on forever into the horizon where the sun was just beginning to rise.

If you looked at her, she seemed as distant as the rising sun, but on closer inspection, the black earphones in her ears became visible. She was listening to the CD she'd just bought two days ago, by Casting Crowns.
  "Now I'm letting go and holding out my hand,
     Daddy here I am again,
        would you take me back tonight?..."

The words of the song seemed heaven-sent. They blended so well with the quiet environs and tugged at the strings of her heart. It was soothing, sitting there, listening to the music, watching the sun rise. It was the dawn of a new day, a day that would be brighter than the one before, a red day. Yesterday with all its tears, pain and torment, now seemed to be a fading dream. The warmth from the rising sun kissed her arms, legs and forehead, revealing a cut on one arm...scars from the now-fading yesterday.

She raised her chin and let her face be bathed in the warm sunlight, a slight smile stretching across her lips.
     " I went and made the world my friend,
       And it left me high and dry
        I dragged Your name back through the mud
         that You first found me in
           Not worthy to be called Your son
            Is this to be my end? 
       Daddy, here I am..."


Life had been so bleak for her, but now she finally had a promise of hope, a promise of restoration, a promise of... a new beginning. For once in her life, she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that everything would be okay.
     " Daddy, here I am..."

         

Rainy day

On a rainy day,

the skies are grey,

The weather determines,

what we wear

how much we care.... for our well-being.

But at some point, it begins to clear up

and it's no longer gloomy, in fact, its beautiful..

Rainy day,

sometimes I really don't like you

but you wash away

all the dirt and filth

and everything

is clean again.

When the sky clears, after a rainy day

it's like dawn, a new beginning

a new chance to start over,

to be clean again.

Just like Christ washed away our sins with His blood,
so the rain washes away the stain of dirt

So thank you, Rainy day

and when you do go away,

we'll be glad to see you back again,
but only after a while!