Rainbows...

Rainbows have been a special symbol for me as long as I
can remember.  Of course, I know the Bible Story about Noah's Ark since very young.  I know that there were two animals of every kind; male and female on that ark.  I know that there were four married couples; each a man and a woman on that ark as well.  I know that the rest of the creatures of the Earth had been destroyed in a terrible flood and that this ark held the people and animals that would repopulate the Earth when the waters receded.  I know that God put that rainbow in the sky as a sign of God's covenant with Noah (and all of us) that never again would God destroy all the peoples and creatures of the earth by flood.
From little on, I was taught to look for rainbows whenever it was raining while the sun was shining.  I loved the rainbows that showed up in sprinklers too!
I love the colors of the rainbows.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.  Well, I still don't understand the distinction of indigo between blue and violet, but I accept that it must be so!  Seven is a holy number in the Bible.  So, perhaps the indigo is in there to make sure there are seven colors?



 
One time that remains very memorable to me was when I was a teenager.  I was on my way to pick up a friend one afternoon, when I saw a beautiful full rainbow in the field.  I stopped my car to get out and just enjoy it while it lasted.  Then, I got back in my car to find I WAS OUT OF GAS!  Yup!  Could not start at all.  No cell phones in those days.  I considered walking to my friend's house, a few miles up the road.  Well, before I had to do that, a group of young men I did not know stopped to offer help.  They said they knew my friend's brother.  I didn't know them.  I prayed a silent prayer and decided to let them give me a lift to my friend's house, which they did.  I don't remember anything else, but that I was glad they were good men.  I think that God protected me that day because I was appreciating that wonderful rainbow when I became a young lady in distress.



I am 3/8 Irish and learned of the myths about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  But, I reject superstition and seek Truth.

I also have always loved how Judy Garland sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow in the movie The Wizard of Oz.  I always hoped I could sing as beautifully!  Then, when she opens the door after the house lands when the tornado is over, I loved how the movie goes from black and white to full color.

A long time ago, my then-boyfriend/now-husband told me that someone claimed to have driven THROUGH a rainbow and that it was all sparkly and bright!  How I wish this were true and that I could have such an experience! 




My fiance and I chose wedding stationery that had a rainbow on it and I composed a verse, "Our love is the gold at the end of God's rainbow".  I was trying to merge the Irish idea of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with the concept of the rainbow being a sign of God's covenant to Noah and our marriage covenant.  God is love and we can only love because God loved us first.  So, our "pot of gold" is our love, found at the end of God's rainbow.  I know the whole thing is convoluted!

Well, God blessed us with five children.  During the last pregnancy, we realized we would be a family of seven.  We did not know if I was carrying a boy or a girl, so we called the unborn baby Rainbow.  When our son was born, his nickname was "Roy Boy", short for Roy G. Biv.  Eventually, I dubbed our family "The Rainbow Gang", as there are many people in our area with our surname.  I labled everything with that!  Eventually, I created a family "logo" and used it on computer made greeting cards.

Eventually, we bought 79 acres of land and dubbed it Rainbow's End Farmstead.

I was so pleased when my neice created some artwork that accurately captured the essence of our moniker.

As our children grew, they learned that a certain population has tried to high-jack the meaning of "rainbow" and they were embarrassed that people might think we were part of that group.  But, I have told them that we don't have to hand over the true and first historical meaning of the rainbow - the sign of a covenant made to a group of people who were to re-populate the world!  They also objected to the word "gang".  Well, after years of bantering, I have conceded and we are now the Rainbow Family!

So ends my story about rainbows and why they are significant to me!