Today's the Day!

Today is the day that I wait for, more than any other day of the year. It's not Christmas, Good Friday or Easter, but it's the Lord's day nonetheless. It's the day when the snow has finally melted off of the streets and the air is warm enough to venture outside in a pair of shorts. Now, my fellow Manitoban friends like Mrs. Diamond or Ruth will definitely think I'm a cracked pot for heading out in shorts when other people are putting mittens and hats on their kids, but this cracked pot knows that we haven't seen warm weather for what feels like eternity, so I'm taking advantage of every moment.

So what does a woman like me do on this blessed day of the year? It begins with a leg shave early on in the day and by mid day two white legs scurry accross the yard to a sheltered corner where I rest on a lounge chair. I didn't rest long, but I did decide to tune out the world for a moment in time and let myself drift to far away places...

I was back in the second grade, lying on a blanket in Margo's back yard, she had just gone into the house to get us both lemonade. I remembered the cool feel of the cotton beneath me while the warm sun painted a silver hue on the clouds.

I was 10 again, lying on the beach listening to the sound of the waves mingle with the voices of children. My sister Bonnie was next to me, her short legs burried deep in the sand.

I was 16 laying in St. Vital Park with Ginger, it was Friday afternoon and neither of us wanted to head back for last period, so instead we closed our eyes and let the warmth of the sun ease our guilt.

Today was the best day I had all year. God's gift of sunshine is one that I treasure more than words could explain. It's a soothing balm on a otherwise frustrating day, and a warm embrace on another. It takes me away to places I've been and brings me to another where I want to stay--in the arms of the one who created it all. Blessed be His name.