A Ray Of Sunshine

This is our dear boy's birth-day.  And a fine looking fellow for one year.  Picture of health, eyes bright + cheeks like two rose-buds.  In fact, he is our pride, our joy.  He is running over with fun + mischief.  He is the life of the place, a ray of sunshine that has fallen across our pathway.  - Frances, April 1891

Yesterday, I received a birthday invitation from a good friend - not for her, but the couple's one year old son!  He has the cutest baby hair, and rosy little cheeks just like Frances' son.  I'm sure my friend has experienced the joy and mischief that Frances describes as well.  This entry could have easily been written by a new mother today.  Those feelings of wonder and love easily eclipse the feelings of exhaustion! 

For Frances, every child's life was reason to celebrate.  She had 6 children, but one little girl didn't live to see her first birthday - unfortunately, a common occurrence at the time.  While no mother will ever stop worrying about the life of her child, a First Birthday is a joyous milestone.  This tiny person is just beginning his or her time in the world - and that is definitely worth celebrating. 

Cleared Out The Rain

The wedding was lovely.  Daddy cleared out the rain and made a pretty sunset, and even prettier stars.  Being here makes me sad.  Daddy is everywhere.  In the water fishing.  In the hammock.  Walking on the beach.  It makes me miss him so much.  - Miranda, May 2008

My Dad was really sick at the beginning of 2008.  He died in March.  My sister got married in May that year, on the beach that my Dad loved.  It rained all day, but just before the ceremony, the clouds parted and the sun came through - just like a movie scene.  In my last conversation with my Dad, he said he couldn't wait to dance under the stars at her wedding.  Even though he wasn't there, he made sure there were stars.

Storm clouds blow over all the time - it's a common weather phenomenon.  Still, against all logic, I believe that was my Dad's doing.  The natural world has its own systems and rules, but that doesn't stop us from trying to make sense of things. I go back to that beach as often as I can.  That's where I feel my Dad the most.  Maybe it is just sand and water.  Maybe it is just another sunset.  Or maybe it is something more.  

I Wonder If This Is An Omen

It has certainly been blustery and rainy, but not cold.  And just now the sun shone out almost like Spring.  I wonder if this is an omen of the year.  The first dark and threatening - the last bright and pleasant.  - Frances, January 1892

As I write this, I am watching the trees bend and sway.  The rain is constant - sometimes hard, sometimes drippy, sometimes almost horizontal.  The city has shut down to brace for Tropical Storm Irma.  I know it is for safety, but with a schedule like mine, disruptions are often annoying.  Where will I find the time to schedule 12 make-up lessons?!?

And then I remember that formerly-Hurricane Irma did incredible damage, along with Hurricane Harvey in Houston.  Some people lost everything, including their lives.  Surely I can handle few missed lessons and a bit of rain.  Today is also September 11th - a tragedy that still escapes my understanding.

The weather often influences our moods.  Storms reflect the turbulence in our lives.  Sunshine reveals the joys.  Frances had a difficult year, and she saw the weather as a way to make sense of everything.  To look past the bluster and find the hope shining through.  Sometimes the dark helps us to see the light.

Now, the power in my little house is flickering.  Inconvenient?  I think I'll manage just fine.  Stay safe, out there.