Been lazy today, absolutely useless, sitting in my recliner staring at the Christmas tree. Walked Penelope several times under a beautiful overcast sky, a painting of vanillas and blues and cigar smoke grays. I love overcast skies. They fascinate me in their layers of muted colors. Mania Khan said, “The sky has a huge heart open for all clouds even on the gloomiest of days.”

If we look at the sky as a person we can learn a lesson in unconditional love, witnessing a love that is welcoming and inclusive. When the clouds gather in the sky some are fluffy and happy and some are difficult, dark and stormy. The sky doesn’t reject any clouds no matter their shape or color. Even on the gloomiest days the sky has an open heart of acceptance. If we could only be so accepting.

Ralph Waldo Emerson called the sky “the daily bread of the eyes.” That’s so true for me. Just as we need bread to live, we need the sky with its colors and light for peace and inspiration. When I study the sky with my eyes I’m reminded I am but a spec on this beautiful journey on planet Earth. I love watching the sky creating, rearranging herself all day, ending at the day’s dusk in a magnificent painting brush stroked by Mother Nature’s watercolors. Mother Nature has changed the watercolors on her palette, choosing beautiful pale colors lately. Last night’s sunset was a beautiful layering of aquas and oranges.

The clouds have been building and banking all day, blankets of dark grays and purple shapes, filling with moisture to drop on Mother Earth. Clouds carry rain and usher in the storms. We have clouds that form and float through our lives, some beautiful, adding color and new challenges to our days. Other clouds loudly announce themselves with thunder and lightning, sending us fleeing for cover. We can always find refuge from stormy times in the arms of Jesus. Through prayer and thanksgiving we can lay our stormy burdens down and know he hears our prayers, keeping us safe in his love. Even on the darkest night a star can guide our way. Just like the three Wise Men, we can follow the star home. God will show us our way, guiding us with his wisdom and grace.

I’ve always heard the most beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies. When I look at my oldest nephew and my oldest grandson I see beautiful sunsets after the storms of their illnesses. Both boys have a luminous smile, like they know they have weathered a dangerous storm, now living the magnificent rainbow of their lives. They appreciate life and it shows on their faces. I have no doubt these two young men will leave their marks on the world making it a better place for others.

Maybe we all need clouds to float into our lives. We can’t have rainbows and sunshine everyday. We need the storms, the thunder, and the lightning to shake us back into reality to appreciate all the blessings we’ve been given. We rock along self-satisfied in our cloudless day then God drops a rock in the road for us to trip over. We need to walk in God’s wisdom. We stumble when we stray from our faith. In reality God doesn’t drop the rock, we choose to walk down a different path, facing the consequences of our rocky choices.

When we stumble walking through life, God is always there to catch us, to help us back up. His hands reach out and point us in the right direction. He doesn’t force us to walk his path, he gives us a choice. We just have to have enough faith to trust his directions, to grab his hand, let him lead us. Sometime we don’t like the path he’s chosen for us but the more we walk down that path, we realize he’s guiding us to our heavenly kingdom to be reunited with our love ones in the glory of heaven.

“The sun always shines above the clouds.”― Paul F. Davis