An All-Time Companion

Under My Umbrella

Call it whatever you want. A rainshade. A sunscreen. A covering. Almost everyone never leaves home without it. Folded or not, an umbrella is handy companion anytime, anywhere. Sudden rainstorm or intense summer heat? No problem! Just pop up an umbrella and you can smile your way through life's unpredictable weather.

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An umbrella is also a useful accessory. It can be a walking cane, a weapon of protection, a fashion statement, an inspiration.

Umbrellas give lovers reason to be as close as possible, bodies bumping each other every so often during the walk. Photographers use the umbrella as a visual addition to "catch just the right amount of color to make a splash," says a vintage umbrella photographer. Choreographers transform simple dance routines into an impressive performance with twirling and sashaying umbrellas. And who doesn't know the song, "You can stand under my umbrella, Ella, ella, ay, ay, ay, Under my umbrella?"

Having a problem on what to give as a gift? There's all-time favorite umbrella - in different designs, colors, sizes, styles and prices.

And yes, the more wornout an umbrella, the more stories it can tell - of every kiss stolen in the rain, of every quarrel fought under the sun.

But one Umbrella covers all others - Jesus. Is your life disturbed by pain? Are you battered by life's storm? Do you have thanksgiving stories awaiting a retell? Get under God's umbrella come sunshine or rain and get covered by His love.

Life is like an umbrella. It can well serve its purpose when it learns to be open to all possibilities and cope with difficulties.

Double delights. Umbrellas, talk of sunny smiles and sister magic, of mud puddles and thunderstorms, of rainbows and dreams and umbrella memories.

See me walk! In the journey called life, the umbrella can be a walking cane to steady wobbly feet as one advances in years.

Magical moment. Open or closed, an umbrella is a photographer's delight, lending magic to any setting - candid or not - even capturing childish innocence that would have been lost forever.

Sole protection. I remain dry and unafraid even as the rain falls, even as I am open to the elements, unprotected and alone except for my umbrella.

A cover of love. Relatives and best friends can be a kind of umbrella to cover us from life's harsh realities or a canopy to keep us covered while having fun in the sun.

The beauty of one. Under one umbrella two strangers start forming a friendship, under one umbrella two hearts begin to beat as one.

Bigger is lonelier? The bigger your umbrella, the lonelier it gets when you are all by your lonesome self.

Comfort in the rain. When will the rain fall or when will the sun shine its hottest, I cannot tell. But I can always pull my umbrella down so nobody will see my frightened expression.

Umbrella magic. Sharing one umbrella allows us to lean on each other, come sunny skies or rainy weather, and wishing the magic of love would never end.

- Lucille B. Tanalas, Health & Home, 2011 edition