June Gloom

Here in Southern California we have a unique phenomenon that occurs once a year regular as clockwork. Every June, the marine layer settles in over the beaches and a little inland to create cloudy, foggy, often chilly days that last for nearly the entire month of June. We not-so-fondly call it June Gloom. Those of us who call Southern California home don't really like it, but it is a part of our reality and so we deal with it.

It's the same with our lives. We wish they were sunny all the time, but pretty much regular as clock work we are faced with our own set of gloomy days. It can cause us to become depressed and in some cases can be so bad that some people actually consider suicide. There is an old saying that goes into every life a little rain must fall. It sucks, but it is our reality.

Sometimes the gloom and doom is so bad that we forget that it is only temporary. We like to sing rain, rain go away, come again some other day, but no matter what chants or incantations we use, the gloom persists...as it should. The truth is that without these days of gloom, we can never fully appreciate the dog days of summer.

Here in Southern California, come the latter part of June and into July and August, the sun will beat down on us filling the beaches and watering holes to capacity. It's regular. And yet, during the times of gloom it is hard to believe that the sun will shine again. Annie sang the sun will come out tomorrow bet your bottom dollar and she was right. The sun will shine again AND if we endured, we will enjoy the sun more than if we lived in a continual sunny state.

Trials and tribulations come. That's just a part of life...just like the June Gloom that has invaded my world. The question then becomes, not whether the gloom will come but how will I handle it when it comes. I can become isolationistic and sink into depression, feeling as though my life is coming to an end, or I can use the dark time to learn more about who I am and grow. I have found that I never really grow during the sunny times...sometimes I get a tan, but usually I don't have growth moments. It's during the dark times that I sometimes have to remind myself that those things that come for free aren't nearly as enjoyable. Perhaps, instead of cursing the gloom we should accept it for what it is...a moment that will pass.

As I write this I'm listening to the rapper Game talking about Dreams. He mentions a host of people who had dreams. Some of them were able to witness the fulfillment of their dreams in their lifetime. Most of them struggled through the murky darkness for many years before realizing their dream. Some never saw their dream become reality. But whatever the avenue, none of them stopped dreaming. Even during the June Gloom, it's important to keep the dream alive and use it as a point for growth.

Psalm 30:5 - ...The nights of crying your eyes out [will] give way to days of laughter.