Ever feel like the sky is falling? The world is crashing all around you and even upon you?

"Umbrella" by Joni Watson

I do on occasion. Thankfully, I have umbrella people in my life. They have a gift. Simply being in their presence, the rain ceases; it is much brighter and warmer beneath the canopy of their encouragement, knowledge, and reason. They don’t have just any figurative umbrella – you know the cheapolla ones you have to shake to open, the wires poke out of the fabric, and one gust of wind turns the umbrella into a rain collector. Oh no. They have the gigantic umbrellas – the ones that fly open at the touch of a button, so quickly you have to do an AED-shock-check (e.g. You’re clear. I’m clear. Everyone is clear.). Their umbrellas nearly envelop the top half of your body and seem to last year after year without wear. I have no idea how they do it, but they do. Like I said, it is a gift.

I hope you have some umbrella people in your life. If not, find them; hang on to them; never let them out of your life. With so many, you can go from one to the next without feeling the storm. Funny thing – umbrella people don’t just hold up the umbrella for you, somehow they pass it on to you. Umbrella people beget umbrella people.