“Do today what should be done. Your tomorrow may never come,” Harry F. Banks. Read this quote today. Just another reminder that we’re not promised another tomorrow. God gifts us with breath for another day at his discretion. I really should have done some Christmas cleaning today but I sat down in my reading chair and read C.S. Lewis’ book, A Grief Observed, while occasionally looking out the window at the bamboo’s dance recital. I’ve been out of the working world for four years and I love retirement life, the slow pace with no pressing commitments or time crunches.

Do today what should be done. What does that mean? Do we need to complete tasks and responsibilities right away without procrastinating? Maybe…but I think the first thing we should do is thank God for another day on this glorious planet with assurances of living the day in thankfulness, accomplishing what needs to be done.

I’ve been thinking about rainbows as I pick up Christmas crayons from under all the furniture in the lady den. Rainbows are always arched in the same order — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. If you are lucky enough to see a double rainbow, you’ll see the colors are reversed. It’s been years since I’ve seen a double rainbow. I was so excited I didn’t notice the colors being reversed on the second rainbow. The colors of the rainbow symbolize hope, peace, and renewal — red is for passion, orange for energy, yellow for happiness, green for nature, blue for calmness, indigo for intuition, and violet for spirituality.

A rainbow needs rain and sun to produce the arch of colors. Life as well needs stormy times and sunny times. You can’t enjoy life’s rainbows till you’ve weathered its storms. We can think of God as our rainbow, streaming down the colors of happiness and joy after the dark clouds of troubles and disheartenments are washed away, burned off by the light of his love.

A rainbow is a spot of hope and beauty, a prize God sends to let us know the storms are over and we’re safe in his arms. Some look for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I think just seeing this wonder of nature is our pot of gold. God told Noah he set the rainbow in the sky as a sign for us and the Earth’s creatures he would never again flood the Earth. God said, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

I never thought about all the animals and people who drowned during the flood till I was grown. As a child we were always talking about the animals who came “two by two” onto the ark with Noah and his family. We were not concerned or even worried about all the people that were left behind. Those left behind to drown in our children’s stories were left out. Those thoughts would have frightened me as a child. It was probably horrifying for Noah and his family to hear all the screams for help from those not on the ark. And all the poor animals, swimming furiously till over come with the flood waters.

Rainbows remind us we are living in a magical world with endless possibilities. We choose our paths in life and God will steer us down the correct path if our faith is strong enough to let him guide us. When we walk down the wrong path or choose a difficult path, God can remove the obstacles that block our way through our prayers and thanksgiving. If you stay attentive to your faith during life trials and tribulations, you’ll feel God bringing rainbows into your life. They might not be visibly arched across the sky but they will be etched upon your heart.

“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.” — John Vance Cheney