I stood on a dock watching a rainstorm on Edisto Island, SC recently. Something I don’t recommend doing often, lol. It was a winter morning in the South. The creek’s water swelled in high tide and its current was flowing upstream from the inlet. Across from where I stood was the marshland with tall grass turning a reddish-brown color this time of the year. Beyond the marsh, I could see the ocean and hear its rhythmic roars. The sky was dark with low-lying clouds and raindrops fell gently then heavily from the heavens above. With few exceptions, everything was draped in the color of misty grey. The smell of pluff mud and the sight of Palmetto trees around me were un-mistakenly iconic in this Low Country. Now and then, a white egret would take off from the marsh and once or twice, a fish would jump and make a splash on the water. It wasn’t a pretty day. It was cold and wet.

I looked down at the creek’s water below. The current now picked up and seafoam and debris coming from the ocean and through the inlet were now more abundant. What caught my eyes next was something unexpected – a rose petal floating atop the water. The tiny red petal in its brilliant beauty was a stark contrast to the murky and dull water around. It was weighed down by a few raindrops that settled on its surface. But it floated by me with radiant grace. Its velvety exterior and rounded margin seemed to soften the sharpness of the austere landscape on this dreary day. Though minuscule among the giants of objects around, it was noticeable and admirable. It evoked in this casual observer’s soul a sense of nobility in the mundane, and in his heart, an appreciation of beauty among the common things.

We have a patient at our cancer center that regularly gives away coffee cups and T-shirts to whoever wants them. The recipient can be a staff member or a fellow patient in the office. Engraved or printed on these gifts are inspirational messages. Fighting her own illness and yet she’s not dwelling in her own world of turbulent water. She chooses to uplift others above the mundane and shines in one of the murkiest of circumstances. She chooses to dance in the rain and encourages others to do the same. I find her spirit noticeable, beautiful, and admirable. She teaches me that no matter how large or small a good deed is, its color is most radiant in the places where it’s needed most. She is a rose petal in the rain!

The fact is we all can be that rose petal. Or for the gentlemen out there, a “fleur-de-lis”, the symbol of royalty and nobility, if you prefer. We all can be the symbol of good if we momentarily overlook our own rainy days and thorny circumstances and assist or uplift others facing similar or worst difficulties. Mother Theresa, one of my favorite “rose petals” once said: “not all of us can do great things. But all of us can do small things with great love.” Oh, how more beautiful this world would be, if our journeys through the fields of life were covered with rose petals, especially in the midst of rains.