I can't hide the fact that I am a lyricist. When I listen to a song, it's not just the music that draws me in..it's the WORDS. I'm captivated, I paint a mental picture, and get swept away. Music has ALWAYS been important to me. It was where I first found escape as a teenager. It was my soul companion and we had many a journey. I did music videos in my mind before MTV did them for real!

I've just bought a CD which has a song the same title as my blog title. But it's not the words of the song that I'm captivated by, it's the title and the image it brings. Picture with me a torrent of rain, a downpour of unrelenting cloudbursts. Suddenly it's met by flames from the ground. Igniting the rain, it turns to steam, then vapour. A steam haze results; a battle between the colder rain from above and the heat and fiery flames from the ground.

Now put that to an image of life. The pain, the suffering, the disappointments, the hurts. Those emotions and situations that rip us apart, that tear us from the inside and leave us open wounded. Pain that can only paralyze us as we are left gasping for relief. These are the rainstorms encountered by each of us.

Then the flames begin, they sooth, they move us into action, they ignite; like a spark that bursts forth and somehow brings relief..somehow brings life to the frozeness of the rain. Warmth and yet comfort. The call to action.

Because of the fire, the rain seems to lessen, the pain settles, the numbness loosens it's grip and a desire to move forward calls. A determination to continue, even though and through the vapors, out of necessity.....out of survival....we move. No longer staying still, no longer accepting that which is showering down and about to drown us. The fire has brought an awakening, a jolt into action, and demanding response. Move or drown.