I noticed the first rainbow on the floor as I washed my hands in the work bathroom. We finished packing the van like we did every week, with items to give to our families. But today, the tension in my chest tells me I also packed my doubts about my talent as a designer. I claimed the prism on the floor as a promise. Encouragement for that day. Little did I know this was the first breadcrumb confirming the path to follow.
I prayed for one when I drove home from a writer’s conference, contemplating my next steps, if I was even supposed to take any. The sunny, clear sky held no hint of colors, but I smiled when I saw a fully painted rainbow mailbox. I started searching for them everywhere.
After the conference, I rejoined a creative writing community. A solid step, no doubt in my mind, until I took it. As I scanned the Facebook group, the wave of memories inundated me with reasons I’d left. I didn’t belong in a group of published writers churning out blogs, Substacks, and books. Any attempt at a publication for me led to rejection.
The next day, the rainbow appeared on the wall in our family room. Confused, I looked for the source. The sun shone through the skylight onto a row of magnet tiles on the floor reflected on the wall. A reflection I saw in the short window of time it existed. I started taking pictures. If that rainbow left any doubts, the next day obliterated them.
The first caught my eye in the prism reflected in my sunglasses, and the next painted on the Leonard’s Syrup van that passed me on my way to work.
“Do you need a rainbow today?” the volunteer held a yarn-wrapped one up to me as I gathered decor for the house that week.
I jerked my head up, “Not today.” Number three.
I searched the art aisle for the rainbow to take a picture for my collection. Instead of the original, I found a string of pom-poms in rainbow order. Number five appeared in a prism in my sunglasses as I drove home. I stopped at the CVS to pick up pictures, and my heart stopped at the Pride merchandise. I wondered if this was cheating as I counted the LOVE tote bag in rainbow letters, the embroidered heart on a hat, three different boxes of rainbow makeup tubes, a headband with rainbow flags, packaged sunglasses, bracelets, and the rainbow on the bag of marshmallows. I turned to find rainbow earrings, barrettes, necklaces, headbands, gloves, and socks and walked around the display to see the sparkly pom-pom headbands. Before I left the store, number 20 appeared on the bag of Skittles, Taste the Rainbow indeed.
I told my twin boys that night about all the rainbows I saw and why they were special to me. They pointed to their rainbow-colored soccer balls. I noticed the rainbow on the cover of the school library book after I tucked them in. 23. Was 23 rainbows enough to expel my doubts?
The sidewalk was wet under my feet. Large raindrops dotted my sweater at random intervals, but it wasn’t pouring as I scanned the sky with the sun shining behind me.
I prayed for a rainbow today— not as a writer, not as a designer, but as a mother. Parenting sick and sassy 8-year-olds had not been all rainbows lately. I thought of the picture of rainbow-colored paper my friend texted me earlier in the day. Technically, my prayer was answered, but I wanted one in the sky. We left the park an hour earlier in a rain shower with the sun shining, but none appeared.
I spun around to look up at all angles, my dinner getting cold on the table. I attempted to cross the street but thought better when I saw a car coming.
I must look like I’m crazy, I thought, turning back toward the house until the car passed. But I could not give this up as I turned to attempt to cross the street again.
I didn’t need to. I saw the colors shimmering in the sky and ran to tell the boys. I had my rainbow, my encouragement. As I tried to show them the rainbow out the window, I noticed the arches didn’t exactly meet up over the trees.
No way. I went outside with the boys to snap a picture of the double rainbow over my double trouble twins. I prayed for a rainbow, and God gave me two. I remembered a different prayer as I took a selfie of us in the rain. I prayed for a baby, and God gave me twins.
Where do you find encouragement?
I love all of these little breadcrumbs of encouragement!!
Jill, I loved reading this so much!! And yes, please keep writing!❤️🤗