It’s been a lazy Sunday for me and Penelope. We’ve been sitting under the cardinal blanket watching the songbirds on the feeders outside the lady den windows. Our morning walk was a cold one and we walked under an azure blue cloudless sky, no buzzards and no crows, but lots of beautiful little songbirds. The front yard’s bird feeders were full of birds. Several feeders we’re empty so I filled them. The bird baths have been frozen in this cold snap. They melt a little during the day so the birdies can get a sip or two. The goldfinches have been frequent bird bath visitors.

Turned my chair around again this afternoon so I could watch the sunset. I was blinded by the bright yellow dress of the sun as she walked down the horizon. Mother Nature matched her watercolors to the sun’s dress and lightly brush stroked the whole skyline in the colors of wildflower honey, so pretty as the colors blended into the pale blueberry colored sky above. As the sun stepped on the last step of the sunset stage, a brief flash of watermelon pink flames lit up the skyline, highlighting the black tree silhouettes as the watermelon flames slowly paled and turned back to the shades of wildflower honey.

As Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight, twilight fell upon the Earth paving the way for nightfall. Father Sky hung the waxing gibbous moon high on the stage of night and flung handfuls of diamonds to twinkle in the navy sky canvas, bringing another night, dark in its beauty, awake. “Beauty is everywhere. You only have to look to see it,” Bob Ross.

I love Native American prayers, their beautiful simplicity in their love of nature and the earth. Here’s a new prayer for my collection. I thinks the words are beautiful.

“May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the great spirit bless all who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.” — Cherokee Blessing

I know we all want warm winds of heaven to blow softly on our homes, specially with these winter temperatures we’ve been experiencing and it would be wonderful to know all who entered our homes would be blessed. I enjoy a cold day but can’t imagine these temperatures lasting all winter. I just wonder if you ever get used to cold days for months on end. You know I love the thoughts of moccasins in the snow. And it would be wonderful to have a rainbow touch your shoulder.

I think my life is touched by a rainbow on my shoulder. I’m happy and content as I can be at this stage in my life. I know a rainbow is a sign that God is protecting us, promising not to flood the Earth again, but I also think God can keep us safe from the proverbial floods that disrupt our lives. We all have storms and challenges in our lives that overwhelm us, but if we face these problems with God by our side he will help us through these floods. Isaiah 43:2 reads, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.” Through prayer and thanksgiving, God can help keep our heads above the water when we feel we are drowning in despair. He is always with us, his rainbow halo of light and love surrounding us each day.

“God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us — in the dreariest and most dreaded moments — can see a possibility of hope.” — Maya Angelou