Sat in the swing this morning, reading all the remarks about the column I wrote about my daughter. Thank you so much for reading my words and many thanks for your caring and compassionate remarks about Rosalyn.

It’s hot today. Sat in the swing eating raw peanuts and drinking a Coke this afternoon watching the cardinals and the quarreling finches enjoying the bird feeders. The sky is full of white clouds, their bellies colored in pale shades of grays and blues. The sun is kissing the crown of the clouds making them luminous and bright. Somehow the morning just ran away from me. The afternoon sun is hot on my bare feet resting in the swing. Oldest brother came by for a porch visit. He’s coming back tomorrow with a post hole digger to help me plant my limelight hydrangea. It’s lived in a large pot for two years.

There is so much American burn weed in my side yard it’s like a snow shower today when the little umbrella seeds float across the porch. They look like dandelions on steroids. I have to keep my hand over my cup of coffee so they don’t drop in. I always think of the umbrella seeds as God’s followers, scattered all over the world, helping plant the gospel of the Lord. “And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it,” Mark 16:20.

Been enjoying the butterflies today and thinking about how wondrous nature’s colors are. Don’t think we can find comparable colors in a box of Crayola crayons. Mother Nature and the Lord have glorious artist palettes.

I’m on the porch after supper. It’s quiet except for one a squeaky baby cardinal demanding sunflower seeds from its mother and Kat chomping her stinky cat food. The sun kissed the horizon tonight and a pale pink blush spread through the clouds. I’m watching Mother Nature take command of her watercolor brushes as she begins painting the sunset while Father Sky sketches some some cloud canvas, long shaped in aqua blues and bright whites. The clouds sit patiently above the horizon waiting for Mother Nature to dress them in their sunset pageant gowns. Mother Nature watercolored the clouds clothing them in a darker aqua, tying hot pink and purple sashes around their waists.

The sun walked down the horizon on the arm of Father Sky, her sterling silver gown beaming rays of silver light through the stately magnolias and the tall old water oaks. Father Sky, dressed in a crisp gray linen suit, kissed the sun goodnight tucking her in under her aqua cloud covers. He then raced off to wake the moon and stars. Mr. Waning Gibbous moon is barely dressed but his choir of twinkling stars are welcoming the night’s darkness.

Loved receiving this quote today on a text from a friend. “Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower,” Hans Christian Anderson. We can live our lives or we can love our lives. We all need sunshine in our lives and the hope of the sun’s warm rays after the storms. Sunshine brightens our days, makes us feel good, gives us hope. We can bring sunshine, too, into other people’s lives by our words and deeds. Treat people like you want to be treated and you’ll feel those rays of sun warning your heart. See somebody having a cloudy day, try to change their weather, and bring some sunshine back into their lives. Ephesians 4:32 reads, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

And freedom, that’s something I think about that we just take for granted, most of us never even thinking about it. Lots of men and women gave their lives so we can live in a free country. Think about the freedom of the butterflies in their brief lives, no set path or agenda just winging the day away feasting on nectar and pollinating the flowers. They don’t worry about storms ‘cause the sunshine’s warmth will dry their wings, sending them back on their journeys. They trust God to lead them back to their flowers when the wind gusts blow them astray. We should trust, through our prayers, God will bring sunshine and love into our lives. Bible scripture tells us the sun is a symbol of God’s blessings and righteousness, a source of joy. Ecclesiastes 11:7 states, “Sunshine is sweet; it is good to see the light of day.”

I think a little flower in our lives is a metaphor for beauty and truth. We all need to have a semblance of beauty in our lives. We can see it in the smiles of our children and grandchildren or in the beautiful colors of a sunset. Beauty is all around us. Even in the storms of life, if you look closely you can find a small ray of sunshine in the darkest of days. When the storms of life close in pray for the warmth of God’s sun to heal your heart.

“Kindness is spreading sunshine into other people’s lives regardless of the weather.” — RAKtivist