I lie in bed watching trees, buffeted, straining in the wind, and back-porch chairs skidding across the concrete toward the garden, where they topple and lie like corpses after battle next to my beloved collard green bushes. I can practically hear the greens calling to one another, “Bend! Bend! Bend, or you’ll break!”

So, I decide to take their advice. I will my hips to move and heave my legs over the side of the bed. My feet take me as far as a chair in the living room where I check my email, coffee in hand.

Most people I know who suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other auto-immune problems tend to loathe humidity. Maybe it’s my Florida pedigree, but I thrive in humidity. There is nothing worse to me than dry, Santa Ana winds.

But my collard greens are right. If I don’t bend, I break. So I dress slowly and make a trip to the store. I cook breakfast for my daughter. I eat.

Then, God bless him, there is my little dog staring up at me with a whimper, eyes fixed on mine, chin in my lap. The last thing I want to do is go outside in that, in that. But I go anyway, and he pulls the leash with his mouth to speed me up and stops to sniff just when I need a rest. The walk and a shower make me feel better, as does my weather app, which tells me that rain is expected on Tuesday. Tuesday becomes my new favorite day. I think, “It’s Saturday, but Tuesday is coming.”

That reminds me of a sermon I once heard: “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” The talk was meant to remind its listeners of Good Friday, when Jesus was laid in the tomb and all seemed dark, sad, and useless. But Sunday, Resurrection day, was right around the corner. Pain today, but joy in the future.

That reminded my of another great piece of insight from one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride:  “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” Life is pain, but there will be peace. There will be comfort. Today, I am in pain; on Tuesday there will be comforting rain. This life is pain. In heaven, there will be comfort like rain. Comfort like rain. Comfort like rain.