Hollie Reid Outside Reading #3

I've read a lot of Shakespeare during my time. In high school, I did three Independent Studies on Shakespeare's Works. Recently, I was reading his poem, Venus and Adonis, when I came across the line, "Love comforteth like sunshine after rain." I love this line. It speaks directly to the feeling that is left behind after experiencing something sacred and majestic, such as after the sun finishes rising or setting or the emotion that follows you after viewing a particularly spectacular mountain range, or a delicate flower. The instance used in the quote is the reassurance inferred by the sunshine after a storm. Imagine a massive thunderstorm with lightning flashes so intense that they light the entire sky. Thunder so powerful it shakes the very foundation of your home, your sense of security and belonging. The storm leaves you vulnerable. Following the storm is a calm, complete with a miraculous rainbow and rays of sunshine. These things reinstate your sense of security and provide reassurance that everything will be all right. This incredulous, encompassing feeling of warmth and security is comparable to that provided by a loved one. Love is a constant reassurance that there is still something to look forward to, to hope for, regardless of how big the storm is.