Rays of Hope

I was walking in a field when rain clouds began to gather (top photo). A short while later I looked up and saw something strangely familiar - maybe a painting I had seen years ago in a museum or magazine.

It rains almost every evening now and I was pleased to hear an elderly man say the other day that the weather feels just like it was in the good old days -"me kwam choom chuen" - it feels refreshing.

Good rains bring good crops. Farmers who guessed right planted corn six or seven weeks ago. As for me, I relied on the judgment of a villager who has lived here all his life.

One day, without my asking, he sent urgent word to me through someone I know that I should plant corn immediately. Time was of the essence. I took his advice and everything is growing nicely. This is not to say that the villager is my official weather forecaster. It's just my luck to know such a helpful and good hearted person.

And speaking of luck, another local man told me about the time he rented land, had it tilled, and planted corn seeds, doing all this on borrowed money as is usually the case for most farmers around here.

A week passed and there was no rain; then another week went by. The seeds withered away in the parched ground.

He lost everything, including income he badly needed for the family for the coming year.

That was almost three years ago, and to this day he still gives me credit for giving him a job when he needed it most (I didn't know he had a problem then) and tells me and everyone who would listen how grateful he is to me. And judging from how well he works and how trustworthy he is, his gratitude is genuine.

Picture location: Baan Salaklong, Uthaitani province