Rainy days can be so peaceful. I love the sounds of raindrops pinging on my window. If you also get so lucky as to have a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening or two in the background, you have the makings of something great. A gentle storm.

One of my favorite memories my mind conjures up during these gentle stormy days comes from my childhood. I can vividly recall my mother, my sister and I would rise early enough to get all of our chores done. My sister and I would then dive into our schoolwork (since we were homeschooled). By the noon hour, we had everything accomplished. You see, we worked hard to get everything done by noon so we could enjoy one of our traditions.

On those gentle stormy days, our favorite thing to do was make the perfect lunch–  some soup (tomato or bean and bacon) and a sandwich. We would grab our drink – a lemonade, tea or, yes, sometimes, a caffeine free can of coke.  We would then take our lunch into the family room, set-up our TV trays, and settle on the couch together.

Once we had everything settled, we would pop a VHS into the VCR and start the movie. This, friends, was not just any movie. This was our movie that we always watched on those gentle stormy days – Anne of Green Gables. 

I love these memories. I love how everytime a gentle storm passes through in my life, I think of those days. The specialness of that time is still something I carry with me as an adult.

This morning, as I let the sounds and feelings of a gentle storm wash over me, I was reminded to take the time to create special memories with my own children. It is so easy for me to get caught up in all the running around, the constant laundry in need of being washed, dried, ironed and put away, or the stress of trying to make a budget that will actually work. I want my children to have positive memories that they will carry on with them.

Some of my more recent stormy days memories:

I remember back when I was teaching First Grade, I would pray that the weather would continue all day long. If it did – I would leave school as soon as my contracted time was up, race over to the daycare to pick up my son, stop and pick up a Little Caesars pizza and drive home as quickly (and safe) as possible. We would then get into our comfy clothes, make a “pallet” on the floor, eat our pizza and watch his favorite show – The Fresh Beat Band.

Today, well I don’t have quite the same peaceful and quiet movie watching setting as before. But, I have little ones with imaginations. I have blankets that can turn into anything you want them to, I have children who, obviously, live in tornado alley.

Today, I have two sweet kiddos playing “storm” together -They are desperately trying to protect all their stuffed animals and baby dolls from the impending tornado threat.

Today, I hear the soft crunching sound of “storm shelter snacks” being eaten as they watch The Boxcar Children on the iPad, inside of their shelter.

These are memories I hope that they can carry with them into adulthood. I hope when they are grown they will remember these moments on those gentle stormy days. I also hope that these are memories I will remember later on in life…when my house is empty and my kids are all grown up.

I want to remember every giggle, every “No! That is my spot!”, every crunch of a snack being eaten with delight and every little whisper that is shared between a brother and his little sister.

What are your favorite gentle stormy day traditions/memories?