Sat on the porch today in my feeted pjs. Put them on over my clothes this morning so I was comfortable sitting in the swing and watching the birds flitting around. Penelope was on guard in the playpen watching for China spy balloons. Mr. Wood Thrush came to the big bird bath and took another bath. Looks like the water would be cold but I watched a finch bathe in the other bird bath so maybe the sun had warmed the water.

I really love to lay my head back in the swing and feel the sun’s rays on my face. I think I blistered my face today. My cheeks are pink. The sun was really hot. Had to take my sweater off. Oldest brother came over mid-afternoon and we sat on the porch for the first time in several weeks. So pleasant in the afternoon sun. We talked about our bird friends. He’s had a few visitors to his feeder down by his driveway gate but hasn’t seen the birds yet to identify them.

I was wondering if birds feel hot and cold and research says they do. They can even get frostbite or hypothermia. So where do they hide when it’s cold and rainy? The cardinals are all over the feeders when it rains. They seem to love it. In winter weather, birds hunker down in dense shrubbery or thickets next to thick tree trunks, usually on the down wind side. I love to see the birds with their feathers all fluffed out when it’s cold outside. They look so chubby. Nobody was fluffed out today, though. We were all enjoying the warm sunshine.

My friend sent me this quote today and I love it. “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you,”—Walt Whitman. It would be sad to not have any sunshine in your life and sadly there are folks who probably never feel a ray. I’ve got lots of sunshine in my life and I know I’m fortunate. I’ve weathered a few cloudy storms but my faith always brings the rays back.

The darkest part of my life with Chief was the death of our daughter. A storm of darkness over took me and Chief and brought us to our knees. Just when we were about to give up a tiny ray of sunshine poked through and gave us hope of days ahead. It took a lot of prayers and support from each other and help from friends and family for me and Chief to weather that storm. I was caught up in another storm when Chief died and I honestly thought I would never find happiness or joy again in my lifetime. I could not understand how the sun could shine without him. But little by little rays of sunshine began shining in my life.

Keeping your face towards the sunshine sounds great, but life can cloud up at any given moment and block out the sun. Sometimes it’s hard to part the clouds and find the sun. Eventually, the sun will break through and our lives will continue on. Our journeys may take a different path or go a different way than what we desire, but we’re guaranteed the sunshine if we have faith.

Think about how many days Noah and his family members floated on the Lord’s rainstorm till the clouds parted and the sun shone down on the ark. Wonder if they had given up. Don’t ever give up! Wait for the next sunrise and pray the sun comes back in your life. If you have faith, the sun will shine.