The First Drop of Rain

Here is the personal and passionate, "Me too!" that fans of Leslie Parrott have been waiting for. For "Seattlite" Parrott, rain isn't a date-canceling, mood-altering nuisance. Rather, that first drop of rain and the following drizzle or downpour is a persistent, positive, mystical fact of life that both confirms the presence of God and underscores his (seeming) absences.

Through original poetry, vividly-drawn vignettes, and honest reflection, Parrott mixes images of rain and "wasteland" to explore the daily juxtaposition of deluge and desert we all encounter. A conversation about grief and death takes place in lush gardens teeming with life. A prayer, delivered and answered at a dying friend's bedside, leads to bittersweet understanding. And personal confidences ("My flaws and fears are so real, they demand my full attention.") strike a chord in all of us who struggle earnestly, if sometimes defiantly, to see God's purpose in everything.