Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Face This Way

We go for walks nearly every day.  I walk to school with Eddie and Angel, and I walk back to the school at lunchtime to pick her up.  In addition, I like to make sure my dad gets some exercise, so we wander about the neighborhood for a bit with him.

Today was beautiful.  Somehow I want to think that it is still February, but it sure looks like spring outside.  We didn't even take our jackets with us as we stepped out into the sunshine (for here, that means it must have been at least 50 degrees.  Floridans would be freezing).  Not a single cloud!  Robins!  Lots of spring bird sounds!  I haven't yet seen the flowers trying to poke up, but I'm sure it won't be long.


Today, Freddie and Georgie wanted to go for a walk with me and Opa.  We walked up the street, loving the warmth of the sun on our shoulders.  After a few minutes, we noticed our shadows.  We waved at ourselves and made funny shapes with our legs.  They tried to step on my shadow and I dodged back and forth to their giggles.  We rounded the corner and the twins ran forward and back, trying to step on each other's shadows.  As we rounded the next corner, they ran ahead for a bit, and then suddenly stopped.

"Where is my shadow?"  They both were a bit perplexed.  Georgie turned around in a circle and saw his shadow behind him.  "Oh!" he exclaimed, "If I walk backwards then I can see my shadow."

As we continued home, it occurred to me that I am often facing the wrong way.  If I am walking the right direction, with the light on my face, growing and developing the way I should be, then I have lots of sunshine in my life.  My attitude is more bright and I can see where I am going.

But when I get headed the wrong way, my life gets darker.  All I can see is my own shadow and all the things that are going wrong.  The colors dim and my cheer fades.  But even when I am all turned around, I can still feel the warmth of the sun on my shoulders, beckoning and guiding.

I'm glad that I can turn around and see the sunshine again.  What a blessing!


(That doesn't mean that there aren't shadows.  There are always shadows.  
But if I face the sun then I don't have to live in the dark.)

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