Beautiful day for pondering in the swing. Penelope pondered in her play pen watching the squirrels under the bird feeders and I pondered in the swing watching the songbirds on the feeders. My yard is full of chickadees, titmice, purple finches, goldfinches, a few doves, and the ever faithful flock of cardinals. Counted seven pairs of cardinals. I even saw Mr. and Mrs. Downy Woodpecker early afternoon eating from the suet baskets. Mr. Downy had his little red beret sitting jauntily on the back of his head and his mate was dressed in her matching black and white checkered suit. She needs a little red scarf to match his beret. Saw a beautiful purple finch, perched perkily on the feeder outside the lady den window, the sun highlighting his dark purplish-crimson plumage and jet black eyes and beak.

The sky is winter blue, lots of crisp rounded edged clouds topped with white sunshine kisses, pale grays on the bottoms, collecting snow flakes I hope! I see a pale honey glow wrapping around the horizon and I know Mother Nature is picking out her watercolors for tonight’s sunset painting. The sun is dressed and ready for sunset, gowned in a bright sterling silver frock, the gown so sequined it sparkles with a gold halo as she steps on stage. It’s hard to look at her she’s so bright this afternoon. She’s almost finished her descent and she’s gloriously turned into a red ball of fire as she turns off the day’s light.

As the day dims, Mother Nature brushes the skyline with peachy-pink light, paling her watercolors as they join her higher brush strokes of apricot and turquoise. Father Sky kisses the sun goodnight and dusk covers the landscape. Only the crimson cardinals and their fawn-brown mates are left on the feeders. Father Sky is waking the luminous moon and placing him high on the stage of night, preparing to throw his handfuls of diamonds up in the navy sky canvas to outline the constellations and guide the night travelers.

As I walk out to check the bird feeders at dusk I see some wisps of clouds, cotton balls stretched out and brushed by Mother Nature in the palest of pinks, turning the clouds into pink cotton candy high in the pale blueberry sky. A magnificent sunset with the promise of tomorrow.

Watching Blue Bloods this afternoon and I heard this quote from Anthony Abetemarco to Erin Regan. “Don’t be defined by your tragedy. Be defined by your blessings.” How many of us are defined by our tragedies, letting our sorrow linger, alienating our family and friends, turning away from God’s love and comfort. I lived through the tragedy of my teenage daughter’s death from a car accident and was defined by the tragedy of her death. There is no pain like the pain of losing a child.

I questioned everything I believed and questioned God a thousand times. Gradually I began to realize that my faith was a blessing and could help me search for the light at the end of a long tunnel of sorrow. I needed to change the trajectory of my life and turned to my faith in God to steer me back on the path of grace and mercy, to find comfort and peace in God’s love.

Having faith is having trust, trusting that God will take care of us. God is always on our side, holding us up when we stumble, catching us when we fall, offering us peace and eternal life. He will always light our paths, comfort us in the darkness, and steer us in the right direction when we believe in his love, when we go to him with our prayers and thanksgiving.

Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live. There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt. — Unknown