Rain on the Rooftop

We went to our children for Shabbat. They live in a little caravan on a high mountain top. It is pastoral, quiet and beautiful where my children live. And they are snug in their sweet caravan.
Suddenly it started raining. My little granddaughters were the first to hear it. "Rain, rain," they called out with joy. It took me another moment to hear it too.
They were listening to the rain on the caravan's roof. "This is my favorite time in the caravan," my daughter-in-law said, "When it rains. We can appreciate every drop."
I looked at the windows and there were barely a few drops on the window pane.
Then I listened ever so carefully to the gentle beating of the rain above my head. It sounded like a thousand tiny fairies tapping on the rooftop. Together with my little granddaughters I imagined all the fairies and pixies dancing and leaping for joy in the crystal dots of rain. My little darlings were so happy about the rain (no matter how light), we got up off the couch and started dancing in a little circle - the same dance that the pixies were dancing above us.
Once Upon a Time Rain
It reminded me of an incident that happened many years before, when my youngest son (now a tall handsome young man) was just a little boy.
It was 1999, the first of many drought years to come. Rain had hit a new low - 30% of the previous annual levels. Everyone was worried about the lack of water, even my nine year old son. One day he turned to me and said, "Ema, do you know why Hashem has withheld the rain?" I said, no, I honestly didn't know what we had done to deserve this drought. He said, "It's because we don't appreciate the rain." Wise words from my little boy.
The dry winter persisted. And then one day, it actually rained. Not a giant storm, but waters from the Heavens just the same. I was driving home smiling, as my windshield wipers swished the raindrops to the side. When I pulled up to my house, I saw my little son outside. He was sliding from one end of the porch to the other, back and forth, without a jacket or umbrella. Just sliding back and forth. I went running upstairs, "What are you doing?!!!"
He threw his head and hands up in delight and called out as loud as he could, "I'M APPRECIATING THE RAIN!!"

So long ago and just yesterday, I realized that our children understand the blessing and the miracle of rain. Now if we all could learn from their innocent insight, we'd appreciate the rain too. And then...maybe we'd have more of it.