The Rain and Everything by Maria Jordan - a review

The compiled writings of Maria Jordan, titled ‘The Rain and Everything’, finally arrived in my mailbox. What a surprise! Its glossy emerald green cover – a drop of rain falling on a fern – and its most engaging back blurb, immediately compelled me to read the entire anthology in one sitting.

The author of 'The Rain and Everything' - Maria Jordan - came to life on the very first page of her book, and emitted wisdom and compassion that kept me totally spell-bound.

She reminded me of ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’, as everything she learned and observed in her life had grown into delicious spiritual food: Generosity, compassion, deep insight, the passionate urge to comfort and support others, and to assure them that they are special. Maria emits, through her writings, that love and empathy we humans so desperately need from each other.

A reader of Maria’s work does not only feel Maria’s compassion, but also that of her mother, Sammie Couchara, who passed away on May 7, 2010. Feeling all this love while reading, proves Maria’s ability to make everyone she meets, whether in person or through her writings, feels recognized, special, beautiful and loved.

But the nourishing, spiritual food Maria offers her readers and friends, can not be taken for granted. Her nightmare of 1999 - of being the hostage of a maniac for 46 hours, of surviving six bullets in her body, of seeing her colleague dies after only one shot, and all those years spent recovering physically as well as emotionally, could easily have turned her into a bitter, unsupportive woman, spending her time nurturing grudges, disappointments and negative perceptions.

'The Rain and Everything' is not about this traumatic experience in Maria's life. It only sheds light on the lessons she learned and the wisdom she acquired in her healing from this trauma.

While reading her poems and stories, and knowing about that incident that could have ended her life, I realized again how expensive wisdom really is. It doesn't fall in our lap, we only acquired it while suffering adversities and traumas. Passing wisdom on, or infecting someone with it, is actually impossible. Yet, Maria manages through her writings to ignite the wisdom a reader may hide, for one or another reason, in the depths of their soul. She encourages the reader to forgive, to love, and to be generous when it comes to the sharing of wisdom.

‘The Rain and Everything’ is composed of the poems, short stories, and inspirational essays Maria had previously published in HubPages and in her personal blog since 2010. All of them are dedicated to her beloved mother, Sammie Couchara.

I find Maria's poems extremely powerful as they touch the very core of my soul. They arouse my memories of events and experiences, and confirm that my conclusions were correct and that the lessons I have learned are precious and worthy to remember… and even worthy to share, like Mara does with hers. While reading her poems, I become aware of a deep love for myself and for all people who have to live life with all its good and bad to the best of their ability.

Maria’s short stories are short, profound, and each with their own important message. She never rambles! I love calling her stories ‘fruit for thought’. Not to talk about her inspirational essays, which are all relevant in everybody’s life. The entire ‘The Rain and Everything’ is like a basket filled with delicious and nourishing fruit for the soul.

There is no way my copy of The Rain and Everything are going to gather dust in my personal library. I'm going to keep it on my bedside chest, where I can easily get hold of it whenever I need a glimpse into the mind and heart of a very wise woman, and whenever I need to feel the love of a true, unselfish and compassionate author who writes not because she wants any financial rewards, but because she wants to recognize, support, encourage and love her readers.