Sunshine

Sunshine. It's happiness all bottled up and delivered to us. Our skin drinks it in, our souls recharge, and our moods improve. It's gotten a bad rap in the past few years, but I dare say that it can transform a person in one mere afternoon. I've lived in a basement the past 18 months, which feels a little like living in a cave. Sure, we have a whole wall of windows at the front of the cave home, but the rest of it is pretty dark, even on the nicest of days. Winter in a home like this leaves me moody, a bit depressed, and deeply cranky. So when the sun peaks its beautiful face out into the NW gloom of spring, I head outside for the day. I like to pack up the kids, the outdoor fun (we like frisbees and baseball), and spend the time soaking in some happiness.

I grew up in the Midwest which is known for its icy winters and hot, humid summers, but the one constant that I always loved was the sunshine. As a child I would play in the snow all day while the sun warmed my face and come summer time I spent my days riding bike or swimming while the hot sun browned my skin. I miss that constant here in Seattle. The sunshine is so unpredictable, it sort of teases you with one nice day only to go into hiding for the next seven. Then it bursts out in full glory, everyone dons a bathing suit for a week quickly followed by a week back in a raincoat.

Today was one of the glory days. A day that is breathtaking. The sun and air were warm, filling our cold, damp city with a little piece of gold. I was happy. My kids were happy. I won't go as far as to say there were shiny happy people singing songs...but it was close. As we sat in the sun playing and relaxing I was hit with a sense of gratefulness for the simple beauty of life. A life spent with family, getting to know each other, learning to love well, and hoping. Always hoping that life will someday be this good for my kids, even if that just means they will be able to spend some time wiling away the day in the sunshine.

So while we continuously look forward to the adventure in a few weeks, one thing I really look forward to is recharging my internal solar panel of happiness to get me through another winter. I hope the sunshine will find us all and may we revel in its beauty, gulping it in for winter will quickly come. As in life, darkness is always looming and while we would like to live without it, we cannot. And we cannot survive it without the light. So I leave you with this Irish blessing, and a hope for a transformative summer.

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand