I’m sure I’ve written about clouds before, I certainly enjoy looking at the sky and try to capture the mood of the clouds and wonder where they’ve been and where they’re going. You can look at clouds as per Joni Mitchell:

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now

from up and down and still some how

it’s clouds illusions I recall

I really don’t know clouds at all.

There you have it, clouds come with a mix bag of emotions. We all listen to the weather report or check the weather on our phone and when the report says tomorrow’s going to be a beautiful sunny day and we wake up and the sky is full of clouds, we often feel a bit let down. It’s kind of like life (once again I’m talking about life). It happens to all of us.

Recently I wrote about Mama Robin and the ill-fate of her chicks. It was a sad reminder of life. Something happened to my family this past week that rocked my world, and it takes me back to last weeks post about how often we have to live moment by moment. I’ll get to that in a bit, but back to clouds.

Why is it that a few clouds in the sky has the ability to alter our mood or how we perceive the outcome of the day?

Why can’t we learn to continue with a positive outlook or cheery spirit instead of a downcast posture just because we encounter some clouds?

Again, some of my thoughts are metaphorical. But I often feel I have very little reserve despite my rather secure footing in my faith. Regardless of where we stand we all need to be reminded of spiritual and practical truths. I think I’m pretty good at giving advice to others in their time of need but I also know how important it is to receive words of encouragement in my time of need and many people were there for me over these last few days.

Let’s backtrack a little.

Friday was a difficult day but it was followed by a beautiful day on Saturday. It was a top 10 day. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the day due to unforeseen circumstances but I certainly was well aware of the warm sunshine and the clear blue sky. Sunday was forecasted to be another glorious day but it turned out to be a bit too windy and a bit too cloudy and rather immediately I felt a little disappointed.

There really is no reason for disappointment in a day that is an ‘8’ instead of a ‘10’ unless maybe it’s your wedding day. But why is anything less than perfect often viewed as a let-down?

So back to my world being rocked a bit. It all started with that dreaded phone call. It was my husband that was the recipient of a call from our son. I wrote about the red cardinal incident last Friday (you’ll be happy to know that I’ve moved on from that) and mentioned how life can change with just one phone call, we got the call. The day I posted about the cardinal I also learned of another incident, this one is much more severe and really very upsetting. Someone I worked with son had a terrible accident leaving him paralyzed. He happens to be the same age as my son, so the pain was deeply felt. Later that day, my son was in a bicycle accident that left him with multiple fractures to face (maxilla and mandible) multiple abrasions to upper and lower extremities and laceration to his chin, but all I could do was feel thankful knowing he will be okay. It just caused me to feel deep gratitude that my son’s injuries were what they were and caused me to pray for this other young man with injuries of a much more serious nature. I know my son’s injuries could have been so much worse.

It often is so hard to see past the clouds. Sometimes it requires major effort and support from those we love. Either way, when it’s just a few clouds that block the sun and diminish the full exposure of the blue sky, we need to try our best not to feel discouraged and appreciate the day even if it’s less than perfect. Each day that goes by without incident is an opportunity to be thankful for all we have.

I had no way of anticipating my sons phone call, it was not a pleasant experience, especially for him but I know that he will get better with each day and fully recover in a couple of months. So, whether a few clouds are hovering above or not, try to look up and be thankful for the day. Hopefully all your tomorrows will offer a glimmer of something beautiful.