A rainbow's worth a thousand words

Mar. 16—The calm after the storm, a sign of a loved one, good fortune on the horizon — a rainbow.

Rainbows have long been an emblem of peace, harmony and good fortune across cultures — each hue of the multicolored arch painting a unique narrative of hope, resilience, and unexpected blessings.

When loved ones pass it's fabled they go "over the rainbow bridge." A leprechaun's golden treasure is rumored to be stashed at the end of a rainbow — even though science begs to differ that the arc shape is the other half of a rainbow circle.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, The Mountaineer asked readers to share their rainbow stories, those unforgettable memories forever ingrained in their hearts and minds.

Fortunately for us, Appalachia lends itself to serendipitous rainbow encounters.

Last February, Kellsi Rogers, of Clyde got a call at 5:30 a.m. telling her the one she needed most in this world, her Mimmie, had passed away. Rogers was absolutely shattered.

She had to drag herself from bed crying to retrieve the rest of her grandmother's things from the hospital and be with family. But through tear-stained cheeks and foggy eyes she was met with a silver lining on her drive.

"I was so broken. I was driving down Radio Hill when I see this rainbow, the promise from the Lord. I said right there that was my Mimmie telling me everything was going to be OK. She was there with me," Rogers said.

Erich Overhultz and his wife can testify to the comfort and joy rainbows bring when they come at just the right time.

Back in June 2017, the newly retired Overhultzs had just closed on their home in Saunook, where they still live today. The rain had been beating down as they lugged boxes from the moving trailer.

Fortunately, after hours of getting drenched, the downpour stopped. And what was left to greet the Saunook's to their new home? You guessed it, a rainbow.

"Our daughter, who was helping us with the unpacking, looked off the back porch and snapped a picture. A reminder of how God has blessed us," Overhultz said.

Last year, after a particularly hard spring, Michelle Railey of Clyde and her husband decided to plan a camping getaway for a week at the lake. However, their plans of getting a relaxing break quickly came to a halt when they arrived to find a completely trashed campsite.

"There were old broken tents and broken glass bottles, and even an old rusty grill full of used baby diapers. It was awful. We had never seen such a mess," Railey recalled. There was so much trash we were appalled that anyone could do such a thing to such a beautiful place."

The couple had the option to find another site, or pick up the trash themselves. Railey said it was an easy decision, they would spend their first day of vacation cleaning up the entire site.

After a couple of grueling hours of cleanup work, three large trips to the dump hauling over a dozen trash bags and one big park ranger "thank you" later, the couple was rewarded for their stewardship.

Arching over the freshly cleaned site was the most beautiful double-rainbow the Railey's had ever seen.

"I truly believe it was a "thank you" from the universe for cleaning up all the trash. It was so beautiful, I cried," Railey said. "I'm so glad we cleaned the site up and we made sure to leave the site flawless for the next campers so they could enjoy it, too."

Railey said she will always remember that rainbow, and treasure what was one of the best times her and her husband had in years.

Whether you're riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway like our reader Ronda McFalls, who overlooked the arch of a rainbow, or Sharon Bruce Isselhardt, who was greeted by a rainbow when taking her visiting family to Dry Falls to show off our region, these moments are a reminder that beauty exists all around us.

Sometimes it just takes being at the right place at the right time to realize it.

Just last Sunday, Calvin Clark from Waynesville was hiking below the Lake Logan dam when a marvel arose from the mist. Clark said he'd hiked in the N.C. 215 area his whole life, but it was the first time he'd visited that particular spot — and he was left with an unforgettable experience.

Last July, Megan Merrell Neal of Allen's Creek had been visiting her brother in Texas when the day took an unexpected turn. It was a bustling afternoon at the beach when she and her brother were inspired to go on a motorcycle ride. That ride came to a halt was they reveled in the rainbow dome that encapsulated them.

"We pulled off the road to fully appreciate the experience. All the busy people had stopped what they were doing and were just standing and staring. The full rainbow was visible from end to end. It gave the feeling of standing inside a dome," Neal said.

Just like a rainbow beaming as a covenant from God to Noah, the sign of the rainbow at important milestones and moments can seem like sure signs from the great beyond. Whether it's bringing solace, joy or consolation — a rainbow is worth a thousand words.

This one goes out to all the lovers, the dreamers and anyone out there looking for their "rainbow connection," as a famous frog puppet once put it.

Rainbow connections throughout human history

Rainbows have long stood as a positive symbol, inspiring wonder for across cultures for eons of human history.

In Genesis, after the flooding of the world the one beacon of hope that persisted was the rainbow — a covenant between Noah and the earth.

In Greek mythology the rainbow is a trail left by the goddess Iris, a messenger between heaven and earth that leaves a rainbow wherever she flies. Armenians believed it was the belt of Tir, the sun god; whereas for the Cherokee believe the rainbow is the hem of the sun's coat.

To the Aboriginal people of Australia, the rainbow is a very brightly coloured serpent that appears to stop rain made by their enemies. Tibetan Buddhist's believe a 'rainbow body' is a significant milestone on the path to spiritual liberation.

Popular culture has paid homage to the iridescent symbol in many songs and performances, notably the hopeful "Somewhere over the rainbow" sung by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, "A Pocketful of Rainbows" sung by a young Elvis Presley in G.I. Blues and the feelgood melody "Rainbow Connection," performed as recently as last week by the legendary duet; Kermit the frog and Willie Nelson.

In society and politics, rainbows have signified change and equality in marginalized communities.

During the pandemic, drawings and paintings of rainbows begin to emerge in people's windows to extend comfort during quarantine — hope of a brighter day.