After numerous emails, weather maps, drought reports, satellite images, and an investigation conducted with the seriousness normally reserved for selecting a new pope, The Rain Man has chosen Chihuahua, Mexico.
Chihuahua needs rain.
That part is important.
A proper Rain Man does not waste valuable supernatural influence praying for rain in Seattle. You find someplace dry enough that people are looking at the sky, worrying about wells, cattle and crops, and beginning to wonder whether somebody upstairs has misplaced the faucet.
Then you study the forecast.
This is where science enters the process.
The heat dome that has been sitting over much of the Southwest is shifting. Rain chances are beginning to increase across New Mexico, West Texas and northern Mexico. Meteorologists call this atmospheric circulation.
The Rain Man calls it an opportunity.
So, after careful consideration, I have decided to pray for rain in Chihuahua.
If thunderstorms arrive Friday or Saturday, there will undoubtedly be meteorologists attempting to take credit. They will talk about moisture, upper-level disturbances, monsoon flow, and atmospheric instability.
Fine.
Everybody is entitled to an opinion.
But the people of Chihuahua should remember the sequence of events.
First there was drought.
Then The Rain Man announced Chihuahua.
Then it rained.
You can draw your own conclusions.
Naturally, skeptics will claim I deliberately selected a place where rain was already becoming more likely.
This is insulting.
It suggests that after years of experience, The Rain Man would somehow manipulate the odds in his favor.
I prefer to think of it as responsible miracle management.
Even Moses waited until he got to the Red Sea before parting it.
There is, however, one important rule governing this operation.
If it rains, The Rain Man will return immediately to discuss the remarkable success of his intervention.
There may be follow-up reports.
There may be testimonials.
There may eventually be a commemorative plaque.
If it does not rain, The Rain Man will be unavailable for comment.
He may disappear for several weeks.
Possibly months.
Miracle workers require privacy during periods of atmospheric misunderstanding.
But for now, the selection has been made.
Chihuahua, Mexico.
The Rain Man is praying.
Meteorologists may begin preparing their excuses.
……………… Praying for Rain …………………..
