It's only September and already I miss the early morning sun. Ever since I was a little a girl, something within me rebels against getting up in the dark. I remember saying, "But nobody should have to get up in the dark, it doesn't even feel like morning yet!"
Even then early morning sunlight gladdened my heart. It still does. As Grandma used to say, it "gets me going."
But hey, I'm a big girl now. I know the routine. So I'll get up in the dark like most people do and I'll "get going" on my own. Still, as shorter days and longer nights press in, I need pansies. We discovered them as winter bloomers when we lived in the Northwest, with its long fall and winter seasons of cool, cloudy and rainy. Pansies don't care about the weather. No wonder I got addicted in no time.
We're in (drier) northern California now, but we read the handwriting of the seasons all around. That signals it's time to plant our annual guarantee of dependable winter sunshine: pansies. For me, their smiling faces brighten the shortest, dreariest day. We always plant some at the front door and also the back, so we see them all day. The other day while I ran errands, that terrific guy I married bought a bunch of them, then planted window boxes for the front railing and a pot for the back deck.
Whatever the weather I look at these blooms and see a visible symbol of hope. Nothing keeps them down, not clouds nor rain. Not even snow, as we discovered while growing them in the Northwest, where we sometimes had snow that lasted a day or two. Pansies may hang their heads for awhile, but then they pop back up, smiling. During cold spells they sort of fold into themselves. But then the sun shines and there they are, still blooming and brightening their corner of the world.
I look at these bright blooms and feel joy, even in dim light and on dark days. Does that sound over-simplistic? Maybe it is. On the other hand, it makes sense to train ourselves to savor the joy in simple everyday things. Otherwise, if it takes, say, a huge diamond ring to make us happy, we probably will wait a long time.
My grandmother was good at finding joy in life. I thought she had a gift for it. Now I understand it's a habit she developed. Like you and me, Grandma had the choice whether to see the light or fasten on the dark. Every day we choose to take joy in what's in front of us–like pansies–or clump around feeling deprived because we want something "special."
Truth is, every day is special, a gift. Every morning arrives with a fresh supply of joy and hope…if we choose to see it. If we run out by day's end, tomorrow we begin again, with a fresh supply.
The question for you and me is, how observant are we? Besides, beyond surfacey things like pansies, in this messed-up world where can we look for joy and hope?
I found some suggestions…
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
–Psalm 90:14
For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
–Psalm 92:4
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
–Psalm 62:5
Here's wishing you JOY and hope in the midst of life, a fresh supply every morning and may you know the Giver.
Lenore
Question for you: What brings you joy and hope? Your sharing can bless the rest of us. (Just click on the word "comments" in the small print below, then follow directions.)
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