El Hombre Propone...

The Hand of God came in the form of a relentless rain today, making a slow sweep across Tokyo Bay and the rocky green hills around us. It was a soggy reminder to mortals that He is in charge, not us. Yesterday, being such a nice day, we hoped for more of the same and planned a trip to the picturesque Ofuna Kannonji Temple. It's only ten miles up the Miura Peninsula; a 30-minute train ride. This Buddhist temple is a short walk from the station and would make a nice photo opportunity, saving the remainder of our weekend from drudgery. Instead, we awoke this morning to discover a low sky heavy with dark clouds slapping rain in all directions. It was a surprise to us, but not to God.

Disappointed that we would probably be stuck indoors the whole day I was reminded of something my mother says occasionally, "El hombre propone, y Dios dispone." We should have checked with God before we went to bed last night. The best we managed today was a Sunday walk through the commercial interests of downtown Yokosuka, a poor choice of day for this activity. Even the Japanese like a day off once in a while and we found many of the shops closed.

God, if it be Your Will, please jot this down in your daily planner, "clear and sunny skies for the 27th and 28th".