Rain can be annoying . It can stop you from doing activities outside . So , it is easy to complain about rain . Of course , rain is important , especially for plants . Although rain might seem annoying , it helps flowers and other plants grow . There are some periods of the year when it rains more than other times . In some parts of the world , for example , the month of April can be especially rainy . That brings us to our expression for today : April showers bring May flowers . Here “Showers ” mean short periods of light rain . As a verb , “shower ” can mean that large amounts of things fall , are given off , or happen at the same time . For example , you can shower someone with praise . That means you say a lot of nice things about someone . But now , let's go back to our expression : “April showers bring May flowers .” If you hear someone complain about all the rainy weather in the spring , you can remind them that April showers are helpful . This is a literal meaning of this expression . But it also has a deeper meaning . “April showers bring May flowers ” means that even after long periods of adversity , good times will follow . “Adversity ” means difficulty and hardship . In English , there is another saying that means about the same thing . Sometimes we simply say , “This too shall pass .” This means that difficult situations will not last forever . Now , let's listen to two friends using this expression . Hey , I haven't seen you in months ! How's everything going ? Well , okay , I guess . You don't sound okay . The company where I work had to cut back . So , I've lost a lot of hours at my job . And both of my parents have been sick . So , I've been taking care of them . I'm sorry to hear that . Sounds like you're having a tough time . It will pass . I keep telling myself April showers bring May flowers . That's a great attitude ! Hey , how about if I make my famous chicken soup for your parents ? That would be great .