Today was another glorious day. Bright blue sky, lots of songbirds performing their arias outside my window. I’m waking up to a different view of the world this morning. I spent the night with my dearest friend in Alex City and we porch pondered till almost midnight. My bed was littered with birthday prizes and a new pair of dog patterned pajamas when I arrived. That’s our tradition to gift each other matching dog pajamas on our spend the night weekend visits.

We laughed our breath away. Her darling teenage granddaughter spent the night, too, and I think she realized you don’t have to be young to have a good time. Then again she might think we were just crazy with lack of oxygen from our snack comas. Nothing like a blue icee from a gas station at bedtime!! AND we enjoyed DQ blizzards, yesterday and today! Don’t tell anyone!

The sun is bright and warm outside my window. I’m sitting on bed sheets featuring scenes of “Gay Paree” and surrounded by a mountain of luxurious pillows and sumptuous bedding. Every where my eyes rest I see another beautiful painting or a little trinket that spurs my imagination, making me want to be cat burglar and fill my cloth bag full of the little treasures all over my bedroom. If I admire something she quickly picks it up and puts it in my hands. She’s much too generous! I left a porch trinket she gave me so I’ll have to remind her to bring it when she comes to my house for the next spend the night party.

Took a nap after I got home. Late afternoon I perched on the porch swing and watched Mother Nature create a magnificent rendering of sunset. She touched her brush to her watercolor palette and painted the horizon a luminous cranberry pink. The sun, glowing in her formal gown of deep watermelon taffeta, perched on the horizon waiting for Father Sky to take her hand and walk her down the pageant runway. As the sun began her final walk down the horizon, Mother Nature brushed pale layers of cranberry and huckleberry and blueberry clouds in layers across the horizon, quickly melding them together like Neapolitan ice cream melting in an exquisite crystal compote. As the sun’s gown trailed down the horizon, the gown lit a flame of dark pink that rushed across the horizon and burned off the day’s light. The high clouds of deep purple blended into the darkness of the evening’s gloaming.

Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight and went to wake the luminous moon and the twinkling stars. The moon, barely visible in his 2 percent illumination, was pinned high on the sky stage of the dusky twilight. As black darkness crept across the skyline, Father Sky threw handfuls of bejeweled stars high into the heavens to light the way of the night travelers. Night was awakened and the day slept.

I watched the pageant of sunset yesterday across the dark cool waters of Lake Martin. The sun was a glowing ball of sterling silver, blinding across the water as she dressed in her formal gown of twilight. As she walked down the horizon, Mother Nature stroked her watercolors in layers of pink and blue and purple across the low clouds of the skyline. The sun’s gown of silver silk gathered the day’s light and pulled the night down over the lake and the day’s light sunk deep in the water. A glorious end to a happy afternoon with friends and their children. Thanks, ya’ll, for the happy memories of the day.

I drove back to Roanoke this afternoon under a spring blue sky with wisps of small bleached white clouds floating along the horizon. As I travelled along I thought I’m so blessed with my family and my friendships. Each day I wake I tell the Lord, “Thanks for another day. And thanks for all the little songbirds performing out my bedroom windows. And thanks for my family and friends.”

I love the quote by Maya Angelou that reads, “This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” The Lord gifts us with another day each day. Every sunrise is the promise of another day and the promise of another beautiful ending with sunset. How we approach each day determines how we travel through the day. If we start our daily journey in a positive light we’ll be ready to meet the challenges that come along.

Some days are rough, I have those days, too, but we need to strive to make today better than yesterday. Each day is a new day to be grateful for and if we stumble all day we know tomorrow the Lord will give us another day, a new beginning. Every day has its obstacles and God doesn’t promise our journey will not be without challenges. But our faith in God and our prayers for strength and understanding can light the way to a beautiful day. Just reach out for God’s hand and let him walk you through your day.

“Every sunrise is a new beginning and a new ending. May this morning be a new beginning to a better relationship and a new ending to the bad memories. It’s a chance to enjoy life, breathe freely, think and love. Be grateful for this beautiful day.” — Norton Juster