Sunshine!

Is it me or does the sunshine bring a little feeling of hope? I've always felt I was one of those people who had a little seasonal disorder as overcast winters can be hard on me. It truly was my greatest fear moving back north since winters in the south are generally good. I love the sun. So today it does my heart good to see the sunshining outside after a dreary sunshineless day yesterday where I found myself having a case of the blahs.

When I first moved to Florida I thought it was the beach that was calling me loudest of all. That I would feel life would be wonderful living near a beach. "The water calls me," I would say. "I see God all over the water." And that was and is still true for me. I took many strolls w/ Jesse at the beach in the very same jogging stroller I now tote Lilly in today through the snow. It was glorious. Make no mistake, while I've always said a lake is not the beach, I have changed my view and will find my way to various lakes this year. Perhaps not to swim after swimming in Caribbean waters, but definitely to walk w/ that stroller through the beautiful parks of Western Pennsylvania.

At some point I thought it was the heat I loved. I would say, "we all have a choice where we want to live, so why not choose to live in a warm climate year round." I know this isn't for everyone, but it certainly had been a dream for me. As an adult in my twenties and thirties I could hardly enjoy the Fall for I couldn't get past the fact that it meant Winter was near. Even though I love the continent of Antartica for I feel it's often the forgotten underdog of the seven, I've never been a fan of freezing. And I have a problem in the winter. It seems at a time when you should move your body the fastest of all, you can't. Everything slows down. All I can say is since I've moved north . . . Praise God for hot flashes for I've actually been ok with the cooler temperatures. I will say since being back I have not had the issue of the ol' nose hairs freezing, but man, I can't wait for that. Can you hear the sarcasm? But overall the heat in Florida was nice and winters became my favorite time of year.

But oneday I realized it. It wasn't the beach. It wasn't the heat. It was the sunshine that I loved about Florida. I knew it was the sunshine for one Sunshiney Fall Day in Philadelphia while visiting up north I thought how beautiful it is here! I asked, "Is it always sunny here, for if it is, I could take the cold." Hands down, it's definitely the sun that I loved about living in Florida. I must admit, while I loved it in Grand Cayman, it was so hot in Grand Cayman I did find myself looking for shade. Particularly w/ the hot flashes mentioned above. I'm no longer a suntan kind of girl after 8 years in the sun and freckles on my lip line I fear look like a mustache. I no longer lay out like I did in my teens and early adult years, but I so love the sun. It feels happy to me.

I now know I loved Florida and Grand Cayman for at the time it is where God wanted me. I feel so blessed for they were both desires of my heart. But today I am in Greenville looking outside at that same sunshine. And I'm seeing the beauty in the locale. It tells me I can see there's always hope for that sunshine when it's where the Lord wants me to be at any given time. With that brings more than happiness, but rather joy. Joy that prevails even when it's overcasts and I have to pick myself up by my bootstraps to go out for a walk in the fresh air even though the sun is lacking. Still I enjoy every sunny day that comes and I go back to my rule quite appropriate here "Never clean on a sunny day. Go out and play." I don't care how warm it is outside. The sun is shining!

So today if you see it. Open your shades. Enjoy it. It brings with it a bit of happy.