Enjoyed the porch this morning. Actually ate three ears of boiled corn from middle vet brother’s garden for breakfast. It was delicious! Almost as good as the corn Daddy used to grow. Hasn’t killed me yet so guess I’m on the mend.

Didn’t have any clouds to watch changing shapes. The sky was overcast. Always think of an overcast sky color as dirty T-shirt white. The sun quickly heated up the earth, warming my tomatoes and greening my bell peppers. Love to pick a tomato warm from the garden. Always feels like it was kissed by the sunshine.

So many, many birds today. Lots more than usual. Cardinals, wrens, titmice, downy woodpeckers, Eurasian doves, wood thrush, chickadees, and the fighter bomber, jet pilot hummingbirds. The wrens were flying through the porch. Had to jerk my head out of their way several times. I swear they were playing tag. I really need to put fresh nectar in the hummingbird feeders but I’ve got so many flitting around today I don’t want to interfere with them.

Went back on the porch at dusk and enjoyed all the birds at twilight. The overcast sky broke apart and a comic strip cloud formation of Bigfoots were running across the sky being chased by a T-Rex. No kidding.! You could even see the butt cheeks of the Bigfoots and all their muscles. The T-Rex dissolved before he caught up with the Bigfoots. Not sure what is the plural of Bigfoot.

I listened to Kelsey O’Connor’s speech from commencement at North Carolina State this morning and was so impressed with her thoughts. She suffered a traumatic brain injury as a softball player at NC and during her recovery changed the way she looked at life. She was poised and a very engaging speaker. I’ve listened to her speech several times today and marveled at how simple it is to change our worlds with her three principles — choose a positive attitude, treat others with genuine kindness, and appreciate your unique inner beauty.

We describe people by their labels — doctors, and lawyers, and Indian chiefs — but O’Connor says we should not identify people by their labels. So much more to a person and their life than the labels we place on them. Labeling people confines how we think of them. Our internal characteristics describe us more truly than a label. I was trying to think of someone I knew who was so much more than their label. My nieces have various titles — mothers, aunts, friends, spouses, daughters, teachers, cheer leader sponsors, Bible School workers, party planners, T-shirt creators, mentors… and the labels just keep piling up.

These beautiful young women are so much more than their titles. They are warm and compassionate, loving and kind. They are faithful friends and committed co-workers. They’re smart and intelligent. Dedicated to their Christian faith and their children and their families. They are all leaving this world a better place by having occupied a space in it.

Another way to describe someone without putting a label on them is to notice how they treat others. We need to see individuals “not for what they do, but for who they really are.” We see a person as they truly are by their actions and interactions with others. My mother used to tell me, “Actions speak louder than words.” It’s easy to be judgmental of someone when we don’t actually know them. Be sincere in your words and actions.

Everyone has a trait that makes them uniquely beautiful. We need to look for this beauty that’s often hidden. Every one has a ray of sunshine in them but often we have to help push the clouds away to find those rays. Be proud of what makes you different. Teach your children to appreciate and embrace their unique beauty.

Attitude has a lot to do with how we travel our live’s path, too. Attitude shapes your success and happiness. Negativity just depresses you and the people around you. No one wants to interact with a negative person. A positive attitude will weather a storm better than an umbrella of negative thoughts. I can be a pessimist at times and often wonder why me but we’re not promised an easy pathway through life. We stumble and come upon road blocks all throughout our lifetime. How we cope with these road blocks sets the tone for walking on toward the sunny side of the road. We know bad things happen to good people but we have the promise of God to help us weather these road blocks. Faith will help us over the rockslides and lead us toward an easier path.

“As you walk through life, always walk toward the light, and the shadows of life will fall behind you,” — Thomas S. Monsoon