"April Showers Bring May Flowers"

It's been raining a whole lot these days here at the Jersey Shore, and I'm guessing in other areas as well. It's spring time, and the rain helps the natural world grow.

"April showers bring May flowers." This saying has many layers to it. Take it at face value. It rains a lot in April, but come May, the flowers bloom and the sun is shining. Spring is in full force.

I can't play basketball in the rain, and it's even more difficult to plan a tennis match in this weather. However, I know that it rains for a reason and I just have to patiently wait for the day to come where I can be able to do what I want.

To get to the beauty and serenity of spring, we have to put up with the rain. In life, to reach a higher ground, to get to a better and more positive place, we have to endure trials and tribulations. We have to fight, argue, bleed, sweat, work. Nothing valuable comes easily. Life lessons are not found on a chalkboard. They are found when you make the mistake, when you're on the ground with your knees scraped and your head pounding with pain. They are found when you witness others falling. They are found when the wounds heal and you get up to face another day with the hope of a better tomorow. Lessons aren't learned unless you think about what you've been through and realize why it happened and how it can benefit you. You can fall time and time again, but if you don't learn from the first few times...don't question why you keep on fallng. That's the reason right there. You didn't learn. You knew you made a mistake but haven't done anything to prevent it from happening again.

They say that you won't know true happiness without experiencing sadness, that you don't know what it's like to have a rich life unless you've experienced being poor (metaphorically speaking). There's a reason why there is an opposite to everything in life.

When it rains, just remember that the rain is there to help something better grow. If it's in your control, it doesn't have to rain as often as you think. If it's out of your control, think about why it's raining and what you can learn from it.