As Penelope and I take our first walk under the deep blue sky this morning, songbirds are all over my yard singing songs of praise for the glorious morning, scampering squirrels are stealing sunflower seeds from the feeders, chasing each other around the old oaks. After I cleaned out the bird baths, filled them with fresh water, Fatty the yard squirrel jumped up on one of the bird baths drinking several sips, surveying his domain while standing tall, his tail a perfect question mark.

The sun is so pretty today. Seemed brighter than normal so I did a little research and learned the sun appears brighter because the sun’s rays hit the earth at a lower angle in the spring. The sun was smiling straight down on my yard, blindingly bright and beautifully. I could feel her warmth kissing my cheeks like a loving touch from Chief. I watched the sun roll down the horizon at sunset, a shiny silver dollar coming to rest behind my great-grandmother’s house across the street. Mother Nature picked up her watercolors and brushed the sky a beautiful pink champagne, highlighting the snow white blooms of the dogwood trees. I have such a wondrous view of spring from my porch swings.

This morning I was writing a letter to Boss Lady, perched in the swing, and the catkins were blowing off the oak tree, landing on my iPad screen. My porch is full of those seeds. When the breeze blows I watch Penelope and she’s watching the catkins blowing around us. One fell in her water bowl so she whined for me to remove it. The neighborhood is in a morning quietness and then I hear a little white-throated sparrow singing loudly, “where is it, where is it, where is it.” This little sparrow would not give up, kept asking till a bird across the street answered back with the same phrase. I finally yelled out, “Don’t know where it is but I hope you find it!” Must have lost something important to sing so loud and so long.

I love Walt Whitman’s quote about the sun. He wrote, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” Life is always full of sunshine. Even when clouds of doubt and despair cover the sun, she never stops beaming down her rays. Whitman is telling us to be optimistic, focusing on a positive attitude, keeping the negative darkness behind us. Psalms 84:11 says, “For the Lord is a sun and shield: The lord will give grace and glory.” God wants us to put our hope in him during times of crisis. He will shield us with his comforting love, pushing the shadows of doubt away.

The Lord and the sun give life to us and to the earth. God clothes us with the sunshine warmth of his love and grace. We walk in the sun of God’s love, seeking knowledge of our faith. Without the sun’s rays life on earth would perish. The sun brings light and warmth to the earth. The Lord’s grace brings light and joy to our lives, comforts us when the days are dark. The Holy Spirit’s divine light gives us our spiritual life. 2 Corinthians 4:6 reads, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” God’s light shines in our hearts and fills us with the knowledge of God’s glory and truth.

By being followers of Christ we give our light of Christian belief to people around us. Matthew 5:16 reads, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” We grow through the sunshine of our faith and spread the light of our faith to others. We light their darkness with God’s love and grace. We walk in God’s light, step by step with him. Psalm 119:105 reads, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” God lights our path and saves us from the darkness of the faithless. Jesus can see our destination and has mapped the path we travel. His light can guide us through the darkness into the light and glory of God’s love.

“The sun is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine.” – S. Ajna