On this day in 1922 Judy Garland was born.

Judy Garland was a movie star and singer who made thirty-two feature films, did voice-over work, and appeared in at least half a dozen short subjects. She even received a special Academy Award and was nominated for two others. She also starred in thirty TV shows (ten Emmy Award nominations). She won a Tony Award and five Grammys, including Album of the Year in 1962. Her real name was Frances Gumm, and she died in 1969.

Most people remember Judy as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”—now you know who this is! When that movie was made in 1939, Judy was only 17 years old. The film has many interesting scenes and characters: munchkins, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West. Perhaps the most memorable is the song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” With Dorothy (Judy) singing so sweetly, it has remained popular till this day.

We may think that rainbows have been around forever (or a least as long as we’ve had rain and sun), but the first rainbow appeared after the great flood. Noah had obeyed God and had built an ark to save his family and the animals. When the waters receded, God promised to never destroy the earth with a flood again. Then he said he would give the rainbow as a sign of his “covenant.”

So, more than a pretty song in a classic film and more than a pretty splash of colors across the sky, a rainbow reminds us that God loves us and has promised to be with us. With him it’s true, as Dorothy sang, “the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

“When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” (Genesis 9:16)

To Do

Every time you see a rainbow, thank God for his great promises and the fact that they “really do come true.”

Also on this day . . .

This is National Black Cow Day.

1610—Dutch colonists settle on Manhattan Island.

1752—Ben Franklin flew a kite and discovered electricity in lightening.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.