Wondrous day in my little spec of the world on the planet Earth. Thanks, God! Clear blue sky, thin wisps off white cotton clouds, slight breeze pinging the pipes on the wind chimes. Cardinals and chickadees and finches on the bird feeders. Mr. Downy Woodpecker, dressed in his red elf hat, breakfasting on the suet feeder. Father Sky just drug his white pastel stick across his sky canvas very lightly, smearing the chalk with his finger close to the horizon. The clouds mixed with two jet contrails and made a cloud shaped just like a big stork. Course I didn’t have a camera with me. Stumbled down the oak root broken sidewalk trying to watch the cloud morph as Penelope hurried me down the sidewalk. She gets on the trail of something and she kicks herself in gear and drags me along.

Last night I took Penelope out for her last walk and she ran between two brick pillars on the porch railing. I was standing on the porch. Could not go over the banister, I’m too decrepit. Last year I would have just sat on the bannister top and jumped down. Cannot do that now. She was in the yard straining the leash that was wrapped around the scuppernong trellis and the chickadees’ bird feeder pole. Stew heard me fussing at her and came to see what we were doing, Took Stew and me both to get her untangled. She got a smack on her fanny and a lecture. I got another Shady Oaks lecture! She knows not to go through those bannisters with her leash on and I know not to let her get close enough to the bannisters to go through them. I bet she was after Grandpaw raccoon. He knocked off the chickadees’ feeder and cleaned it out last night.

Reminds me of something that happened last week. I went to my grandson’s basketball game and fell flat on my face trying to walk up the bleacher stairs without a handrail to hold on to. The stairs had open pipes about three inches tall in the middle of the steps but no one had bothered to take the time to put the handrails in the holes. I watched several grandparents struggle on the steps. Didn’t hurt me but embarrassed me and scared my children. Thomas is always such a gentleman to help to me and I should have waited for him. He helped me up and we had a good laugh when he realized I was fine. Football stadiums stairs are the worst, though. Not having a handrail on public stairs is one of my pet peeves!

Been content and happy today setting the tables for my family Christmas dinner on Saturday. Some days when my cup runneth over I think the day could be perfection personified if I could see Chief walking up the sidewalk. I set his place card by my place setting and put Rosie’s place card on the table where her brothers sit. My home just lends its self to Christmas with its tall ceilings and orchid color walls. My handyman couple painted the lady den gray, it was orchid, too, but I’m not ready to change the wall color in the living room and dining room.

The sunset was beautiful in its muted shades at eventide. Thought about this quote that was sent by a friend. “Painting is the silence of thought and the music of sight,” Orhan Pamuk. This is a wonderful expression of artistic talent if you ponder on it. Sunsets move me every afternoon. Even when the colors are quiet and in pale shades, I’m thrilled by its beauty. I’m in awe of God and Mother Nature’s watercolors every day at dusk, knowing each day a different painting will be created. And us not watching the sunsets doesn’t phase Mother Nature or Father Sky. They express their love of colors with no embarrassment.

Tonight’s pageant at sunset found the sun dressed in a formal gown of pale colored chiffon. Gossamer layers in blushing turquoise, pink, and gold fanned out as she walked down the horizon stage, covering the sky in wondrous pale hues of cotton candy. Father Sky kissed the sun good night as she turned out the day’s light and waked the night. He tucked her matching candy cloud covers around her and walked off hurriedly to hang the opal moon and to scatter his diamonds in the night sky.

God’s light radiates in the colors of the sunset. God is our guiding light. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” God is the light of life in us. But don’t use God like a porch light. Don’t just turn on God’s light when you need it to light your way. I was guilty of that for many years, only praying when I had a need. Never praying prayers of thanksgiving for my blessings that were bestowed on me. Now when I wake each day, I give thanks for another day on this beautiful planet. God’s light radiates in our hearts and through our words and actions we can help draw others to the warmth and love of God’s light.

Maybe we can think of God as being the porch light, a light that protects us from the darkness in the world, his light showing us the correct path to travel through our life. God’s light points toward our destination and helps direct our steps. It’s comforting to know God never turns off his porch light. It always shines brightly, like a lighthouse beacon, to show our way home to him. It never dims.

“Healing light shines upon your soul even when the clouds roll in and the sky goes gray. The beauty of your rainbow fills the space between the gray and the blue providing balance to your soul. I see the rainbow’s reflection in your eyes always. May God’s light maintain the vibrant color of your heart.” ― Jason Micheal Ratliff