Unfinished Rainbows, and Other Essays

"Unfinished Rainbows and Other Essays" by George Wood Anderson is a set of thoughtful writings from the early 1900s that consider belief, optimism, and what it means to be human in relation to God, beginning with 'Unfinished Rainbows,' which compares the completeness of God's promises to a rainbow, explaining how we must keep the right viewpoint to see and accept these promises when things are difficult. Using the metaphor of clouds hiding a rainbow, the initial write-up talks about how life's difficulties may hide the natural beauty and luck we have, and that the rainbows, which stand for God's constant loyalty, are easily overlooked because we are too sad or hopeless. With strong images and references to the Bible Anderson argues that keeping our faith and point of view is important so we can see all of what life has to offer, and encourages people to look past their problems at the divine certainty that lies underneath. This sets a tone that is thoughtful and inspiring as the collection explores the theme of hope.