SINGING IN THE RAIN-by Heidi McLaughlin
Posted: August 8, 2025
One of my simple pleasures is walking in the rain. Without hat, umbrella or rain proof coat; rain running down my face and soaking my body. Especially in the summer when the sun makes the rain sweet and warm. It refreshes and it feels like I’ve been washed from the inside out. But I lost that simple pleasure when grief knocked me flat on my face, broken and unable to get up on my own. I lost almost all my simple pleasures. Reading, enjoying a long sleep-in, a fresh cup of coffee, decorating my home and writing. When I looked in the mirror my eyes were no longer a bright blue, they turned grey. Every day was simply survival.
I just wanted it to stop.
While going through intense grief it feels like it will last forever. From our self-imposed inner reality we believe this is our new normal and we cannot see beyond the darkness. All the simple pleasures of life become drudgery. Something to get through so that you can go to bed and wake up to another day of the same? That is how I felt for months after my 2nd husband Jack died. I even lost the taste of food.
Grief is a wound that will be with us for the rest of our lives. But over time, tender care and sometimes medical help, our deep wounds heal but they leave a scar. A beautiful scar which is reminder that our loved ones will never be forgotten. Don’t forget that this journey is something you are going THROUGH. Don’t forget that word THROUGH. This season of grief is not your new identity; you are alive and still have wonderful days ahead of you.
I wondered if I would ever again enjoy walking in the rain. In the midst of my grief it seemed impossible. We live in a world that is always moving and changing. Nothing stays the same. Grief will also change over time. And it will also change you.
Grief changes us.
Now when I walk in the rain I enjoy it even more. Why? Because I recognize the frailty of life and the beauty of God’s creation. I’ve been broken and now I’m restored and that is a beautiful gift to recognize and treasure. I’ve been given a second chance, and I want to enjoy every minute of it. There is a second chance waiting for all of us.
Yesterday, August 7, 2025, I went for a walk in the rain. No hat, no umbrella just warm water pouring into my soul. It was sheer joy. When I looked behind me God delighted me with a rainbow. A reassurance of His promises that He is always with us. Now the simple pleasures in life are no longer simple. They are gracious gifts of God’s kindness, and I am grateful for each one.
Heidi McLaughlin’s Bio
Heidi McLaughlin is an international speaker and award winning author. Heidi’s first husband Richard died two weeks before Christmas in 1994 while playing basketball. Heidi remarried to a widower Jack, and became an instant mom and step-mom of a blended family of 5 children and 12 grandchildren. On November 11, 2016 while Jack was in the kitchen reaching for a cup of coffee he dropped and Heidi heard a loud crash. While she was doing CPR on Jack he took his last breath.
Heidi knows the deepest darkness of grief and pain. Four month after Jack’s sudden death she was diagnosed with PTSD and she is very familiar with the journey of finding hope and healing. Because of what Heidi has learned about grief, she uses her time and passion to help others walk this journey through her writing, Grief Share program, TV interviews and teaching it around the globe. For the past seven years Heidi has walked and helped over 500 people in their grief journey. One of her attendees said this: “This is the best grief teaching I’ve ever heard because Heidi speaks out of a heart of understanding.”
