Today was so pretty, almost spring like in temperature and bird song symphonies. I sat on the porch most of the day enjoying the warm sun and the flocks of cardinals and goldfinches flittering around the bird feeders. The squirrels were playing tag circling the oak tree trunks, chattering and fussing as they scampered around. The azure sky was almost cloud free, just a few wisps of line clouds I watched morph into mythological creatures.

Every cloud made me think of dragons, griffins, basilisks, and gargoyles just like off the pages of a paperback mythology guide. Made me remember that little thin brown mythology book in college. Worse grade I ever made in college…a big fat 56 on the mythology test. The professor glared at me when she placed the test down on my desk. I was mortified but we had never studied mythology in high school so one reading of the book the night before the test didn’t help me much. Most of my friends didn’t even read the book because they had studied mythology in high school. I almost cried when I saw that big fat red ink F on my test paper. I did redeem myself and had an A at the end of the semester. Still ignorant about mythology, though. Stew is ashamed of my knowledge and points out maybe I can study mythology with my friends at Shady Oaks.

The sun was hot mid-afternoon so I went from one swing to the other, playing musical swings, too hot in one swing, too cool in the other. Once the mythical cloud creatures all slipped away, the sky was blue and clear till late afternoon when Father Sky sketched some heavy white clouds along the horizon. I knew Mother Nature would shade them in wondrous colors at sunset.

After an early supper I went back out to watch Mother Nature paint a Valentine’s Day sunset on the horizon, knowing she would brush her watercolors magnificently across the sky and the lingering clouds. As the sun, beaming brightly in her silver gown, danced across the clouds and prepared to walk down her sunset stage, Mother Nature painted the skyline a beautiful golden peach which burned slowly into an apricot fire that lingered till the sun turned off the day’s light. Right before the day got dark, Mother Nature brushed the lingering wispy clouds a vibrant salmon pink.

During this beautiful sunset, I could see a small mahogany dinner table covered with a stiffly starched linen tablecloth of dark fuchsia, the table resting close to the horizon on a tropical beach, waves softly slapping the shoreline. The table is exquisitely dressed, cut glass vases of hot pink roses, delicate flowered china, sterling silver cutlery resting on white embroidered napkins, crystal goblets, demitasse coffee cups. Sitting in the center of one dinner plate is a small signature blue jewelry box from Tiffany’s. Two older lovers enjoying, unbeknownst to them, their last Valentine’s Day supper together, watching the last evening sunset of their lives, their loving smiles and clasped hands as warm as the setting sun. I love that we have imaginations. Mine is always overflowing and working overtime.

Another quote I love, sent to me from one of my friends. “Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray,” Lord Byron. Ever had a storm in your life and you’re drowning in hopeless and just out of the blue a rainbow emerges? I have a friend who has dragged many rainbows onto my horizon. I think I’ve hung a few rainbows for her, too. We all weather storms in our lives but if we have hope that the storm will pass we can inspire others to have hope, too. Just like God lights our paths, we can inspire others with our light and positivity when their worlds turn dark. Reach out in their darkness and offer a hand of hope. Pull those who need hope back into the light of God so he can shine his grace on them and help carry their dark clouds of worry.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to smile life’s clouds away. Sitting here, thinking of the smiles I know that could melt the clouds, I think my nephew and my grandson could melt a few clouds away and in fact, have done that. Their smiles in overcoming the storms of life threatening illnesses have illuminated them. Their smiles uplift me and let me know there is always the hope of sunny days ahead. We just have to stay positive during the clouds and storms. There is always sunshine after the darkest nights.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” — Maya Angelou