Did my yard chores this morning, sweating out my clothes, my eyes burning with sweat dripping in them. Just got too late a start and the heat and humidity beat me down. Did notice the summer sky, though. Never too hot for me to not gaze at the heavens and appreciate all the beauty of Father Sky’s sky rendering. He outdid himself today with his pastels, sketching dark blue skies and crayon yellow sunshine rays. He dropped fluffy rounded clouds like dollops of whipping cream on his blueberry sky. So pretty. I’m ready for fall but I love these picture perfect days of summer.

I spent the afternoon looking through the cardboard box of photos again. I had only made it halfway through before. I’ll admit lots of the photos made me cry but they were tears of happiness remembering the beautiful years Chief and I spent together with our children when they were young. We had a mutt yard dog that the children loved. Can’t remember her name but she had nine puppies and Thomas and Rosie were thrilled with them.

Once the puppies were old enough to frolic around the yard, Thomas and Rosie would march around our house singing this little song, “Come on puppies, come on today,” and those nine little puppies would march along behind them. Precious, and I must have watched that parade through the windows a thousand times as they circled the house. Last time I visited Thomas I asked if he remembered those puppies and the little ditty they would sing and he smiled and said, “Course I do!” Always wished I had a photo of them with the puppies. I found one today in the box! Thanks Chief!

Went on the porch at twilight to set the raccoon cage trap. He’s nibbled the ends of my 40 pound bird seed bag for two nights. I’ve sprayed the bag with the peppermint oil so he hasn’t really caused the seeds to pour out yet but I want him or them gone. They love cat food but we’ve been feeding a stray cat on the porch and I don’t want to trap the cat so I just put some birdseed in the trap. Raccoons love marshmallows but I gave my marshmallows to vet brother when he borrowed the trap. If birdseed doesn’t work, I’ll put the trap on the back deck with some cat food.

The twilight is so glorious — purplish clouds on the horizon, a slight breeze, bird songs, loud cicadas singing, soft notes from the wind chimes pinging, no modern world solos improvising and ruining the yard symphony. I’m perched in the swing pondering on my little slice of heaven. The sun is setting, having rolled down behind a cloud curtain of grays and whites and pale purples. It’s cool and pleasant on the porch and now a silver rain is watering Mother Earth, blowing in on the porch so in the house I go taking Penelope with me. As I came in the house I noticed “the summer night was settling upon the neighborhood like a dark lace veil, casting dappled shadows on the roofs and sidewalks and lawns,” (Victoria Kahler).

Ever seen the sun find a break in the clouds and focus all her rays on that opening, lighting up an otherwise dreary day with her warm sunshine. I love this quote from St. Francis of Assisi, “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.” The sunbeam has the power to warm the earth, burn the clouds away, and heal despair. Malachi 4:2 reads, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.”

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We have the light of God inside us and can spread this light to the world through our words and our actions. Our faith can shine as we share our testimonies.

We can be sunbeams for Jesus, shining our lights of righteousness on this planet earth that needs our prayers. God is calling us to be a beacon of light for him, to shine in the world where there is darkness. We live in troubling times and need to pray for God’s blessings and his grace to shine and light the darkness that is shadowing our earth.

“The Sun is a daily reminder that we, too, can rise again from the darkness, that we, too, can shine our own light.” —S. Ajna