This week 34 years ago Rainbow Brite made her debut. I remember growing up and watching this show. I was in love with Starlite her horse. Her heroism in fighting to save planet Spectra. And her compassion for all things alive. I can’t say that’s when I fell in love with the beauty of rainbows but it most certainly helped.

June was a rainbow month. It wasn’t that I saw a lot of rainbows although June’s weather definitely called for the possibility. It was more that in June there was hope and anticipation. There was a clear sighting that a new day was coming, that life was starting to make sense, that promises of good fortune was on the horizon.

I could start off with explaining the very scientific definition of rainbows. In fact, it’s so interesting that I almost did. But, for me it’s more than just some scientific evidence of light and water hitting each other in just the right place. For me, I think of my mPact Rainbows and I see growth and promise. I think of the many women I have befriended who are pregnant with their Rainbow babies and I see hope and promise. I think of Noah, the dove and the rainbow and I see newness and promise.

This month, in every essence of my definition of rainbow, I have seen promise. A promise of strength. A promise of comfort. A promise of healing. A promise of guidance. This month God has promised fearlessness, love, prosperity. And he has done that through doctors and coworkers and our support system. He has done that through strangers and acquaintances. Through our toughest struggles this year He continues to promise a newness of joy and sufficient grace to get us through. Through every battle we’ve faced this month He’s promised to carry us when we can’t stand, promised us He is working out a plan and promised the rest needed to have the strength to make it another day.

The first half of the year has been trying. I’ve struggled, fallen, stood unsteadily, kneeled, fallen again, cried, felt depressed, anxious, and fallen again and again and again. And no matter what God held my hand as I grew, was forgiven, found strength, continued to kneel, looked up, was healed, broke through. Rainbows stood on my horizon glowing with the brilliant colors of God’s love as I stumbled but always got back up, as I felt through the darkness not afraid to step forward. The rainbows shown glistening in my skies as I felt discouraged but clung and leaned on His word.

In June I realized that life wasn’t about ticking off all the bad that has come my way. It was about looking at all the misfortune and bad circumstances and saying, “Ya, this stood at my feet. But, look what came out of it.”

I look back at the last six months, during the times when I couldn’t see myself coming out of what was right in front of me, and am so glad I never gave up. My perseverance to press on reminded me that there is always an end to the tunnel. There is always an up to the down. There is always light to the dark. I look back on these last six months and I’ve realized that we’ve not come this far to only get this far. God’s moving we just have to hold on.

June has brought me the realization that life is really what you make of it. Bad things happen to good and bad people and it’s how you choose to let those things affect you that define who you are, how you live your life, how you take each step. And June has brought me the realization that I choose to hang on to my promises because I see my rainbow on its way.

For the love of self I have learned sunshine or rain, I’m trusting the transition.