"Let This Be Your Sign..."

It's foggy and cold and damp -- in other words it's winter. But as it turns out, that doesn't mean there is no hope.

You all probably know the story of Noah and the Great Flood. When things settled down after the rains, God promised Noah that he would never again destroy the world with water, and as a reminder of this promise, He put a rainbow in the sky. Whenever I cover the sky with clouds and the rainbow appears, He said to Noah, I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that a flood will never again destroy all living beings.

That's the story that most people remember. Not as well known is the story of the Californians who withstood forty days and forty nights of fog. Their skin had become pale, their clothes mildewed and their usually rosy disposition was as gray as the fog. Dear God, they prayed, are we like never ever again to see the sun? We are so like totally tired of the, ya know, bleh. Can't you like give us a sign or something?

So God, who has never actually been pleased with Californians but who is merciful, chose this time of year to bring to ripeness the orange. Let this be your sign, God said, that what I have given you in the past will be yours again in another couple of weeks.

The Californians took the oranges, squeezed them, and put their juice on the kitchen counter, not quite sure what else to do with it. After looking at the juice for a bit, they decided to go to bed. When they turned out the lights, they saw for themselves what God had done -- He had filled the oranges with the sun itself.

Kewl, the Californians said, being after all, a grateful people.

The crop is in. God is good.

I'm just saying.