Here is a preview from my upcoming book, Sycamore Stories! If you enjoy it, there is much more coming!
“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (Genesis 9:16, NIV).
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him” (Ezekiel 1:28, NIV).
“And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne…Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:3,8).
“Rainbows are visions, but only illusions and rainbows have nothing to hide.” (Kenny Ascher/ Kermit the Frog)
What is real? What is substance? When does a story contain more truth than a textbook can possibly explain?
“And for all I can tell, the only difference is that what many see we call a real thing, and what only one sees we call a dream. But things that many see may have no taste or moment in them at all, and things that are shown only to one may be spears and water-spouts of truth from the very depth of truth.”
― C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces
“Why do you wear that necklace?” asks a kind friend before church.
I finger the wooden cross on my necklace, remembering how it came to remain with me.
Once, when she was in her forties, my mom made a pilgrimage to Israel. She returned to California with a gift: this cross made of Holy Land wood. I held the crucifix, turned it over in my hand. I felt its smooth, firm olive wood. How wonderful to think that this little figure came from a big tree in Jesus’ land. What a nice necklace this would make. Mom’s birthday was coming. I smiled.
Bead by tiny bead, I strung rainbows onto sturdy necklace wire. In the middle, I hung her Holy Land cross, hoping to bring her joy. I mailed it off in time for her birthday. She loved the gift, and then I forgot all about it.
Mom had a special way of seeing the world. Some might call her fanciful or filled with magical thinking. Others considered her heavenly-minded. I just knew I loved her. No one else was like my mom. One day, she phoned me, full of excitement. She joyfully relayed her story of driving into a rainbow.
“I was on the freeway, surrounded by other cars. As we got close to the bridge, heading into the Bay Area, a rainbow filled the sky. The closer I got, the bigger it seemed until I drove right into the rainbow.”
“Really, Mom? You drove into the rainbow?” I patiently asked. This sort of story surprised me less from her than from anyone else. Her childlike wonder led to many unusual tales. Still, this one seemed stranger than most.
“Yes! It was amazing. Everything turned golden. I was at the end of the rainbow! The weird thing is that none of the other drivers seemed to notice at all.”
“What did you do next?” I asked.
“I kept on driving, singing a song of praise to God.” She seemed so certain this had happened, I didn’t know how to respond.
“Mom says she drove into a rainbow,” I later told Jeff. We both chuckled. He knew her, too.
Several decades later, sad times came. Mom began waning under the oppression of Alzheimer’s disease. Every visit, she became more like a child until we needed to place her in a memory care facility. This broke our hearts.
Paula, Aunt Ruth, and I returned to Mom’s house after we checked her in. Our task felt too heavy for me; we needed to sort through her belongings. Frank, my stepfather, was moving into a small apartment to help afford her care. Ruth and Paula set up containers and began dividing Mom’s belongings into piles. My heart spilled over with sorrow.
Mom’s vanity table held all of her shiny, beautiful earrings. She was a bit of a free spirit. Her hippy style was part of her previous life. Now earrings and necklaces meant little to her. In every drawer, I found “lucky pennies” and wondered whether she remembered putting them there at all. Acorn tops, little rocks, many mementos she had forgotten. Tucked in the back of one drawer, I discovered a familiar strand of beads. I pulled out that cross necklace, recognizing my own creation.
“I’ll keep this,” I sighed, looking over at the hope chest filled with special things. Paula was doing a great job, practically sorting everything out. Sentimental me could do little more than grasp that wooden cross, hold back tears, and retreat to sort piles of Mom’s coloring books.
When I returned to Florida, I wore my cross necklace often. It gave me a feeling of connection to Mom. As I struggled with deeply missing our conversations, the necklace reminded me to carry her influence into my days. The rainbow necklace kept hope alive in my heart.
When Mom went to Heaven in May 2021, I wasn’t there by her side. From across the country, God helped me to honor her with a Zoom celebration in a Covid-restricted world. I wore the necklace daily as my heart worked through deep grief. The rainbow reminded me that God promises to use all of our troubles for our good. The cross reminded me that Jesus provided Mom’s entrance to Heaven. The necklace linked Mom to me, to Mom, and back to me again. Our rainbow connection lived on.
That summer, Jeff took me to Germany. This trip felt extravagant in the center of my sorrowful summer. One day, we drove our rental car through the Bavarian hills. Blue-grey storm clouds settled over the lush, green countryside as our automatic wipers began to swish. Ahead, I saw a lovely rainbow, bringing Mom to mind. I began recounting that story to Jeff, how she drove into the rainbow’s end. A tear of grief slid down my cheek as I tried to imagine my fanciful mama in Heaven. I sure was missing her!
Our car continued driving closer and closer to the spot where this rainbow seemed to touch earth. Wet asphalt reflected our headlights as rain continued to fall. Wait a minute, I startled from my sad reflections. Were we driving towards the rainbow’s end? How impossible!
Jeff and I laughed with disbelief. Light splashed off the wet earth, and truly, the color appeared golden. In our moment of serendipity, my mom’s magical stories no longer seemed far-fetched. I imagined her laughing from heaven as finally we believed her. Maybe some things are too true to believe. What other stories had I doubtfully dismissed?
That day, I repented of all my skepticism towards my mom’s stories. Here was gold! I wondered how many miracles I had missed speeding from here to there. Like those drivers who passed my mom in California and those who passed us on that German hillside, my earthward eyes must have missed many heavenly sights. I thanked God for the gift of my rainbow-seeing, miracle-believing mama. Now I look forward to telling her MY story when I finally make it Home.
In Heaven, there is a throne like none in an earthly palace. Seated upon it is someone like a Son of Man. He is the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain. This King on the throne is surrounded by a rainbow: jasper, carnelian, emerald, and more fill His space with glory. (Revelation 4:2,3). John saw the rainbow. Can we believe that it’s true?
Our King cried in an olive grove. He hung on an ugly cross. He did it “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV). He bore the shame for us.
I gaze at my simple rainbow necklace and think of Mom, already there. That olive wood is lovely. It links my heart to hers. Mom gladly told her stories even when we doubted. Sometimes we don’t appreciate the truth of a story until more life is lived.
I will tell my stories to those who scoff and doubt. In His timing, God will bring my seeds of truth to life.
Questions for Discussion or Journal
- In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, no one believes the youngest sister, Lucy. She tries to describe a wonderful land called Narnia, but her older siblings doubt. It just seems too fanciful to be true. Their friend, the professor, says, “There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth.” We should consider the words of honest friends. Can you remember a time when someone didn’t believe you? Tell the story. How did being doubted feel?
2. “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (Genesis 9:16, NIV). God gave Noah the promise of the rainbow to help us trust the boundaries of His wrath. What natural occurrences help you to trust God? Has there been a time He used the weather or His creation to help you know He was with you?
3. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV). What is one thing you are trying to trust God about today? Why do you think believing what we can’t yet see pleases Him?
4. Jesus often used stories to teach truths. What is one parable that helps you know God better? How does it speak to you personally?
