Day 3 - Snickerdoodles and sunlight

I have to admit that the only reason I'm actually writing right now is that I'm out of eggs. I had every intention of spending this time making snickerdoodles. Real snickerdoodles, with lots of butter and sugar...Most of my baking involves modifying recipes to make them healthier; substituting whole wheat flour for white, cutting the amount of sugar, replacing oil with unsweetened applesauce, and so on. Tonight, however, I was going to splurge and make genuine, bad-for-you-but-oh-so-good snickerdoodles. Sadly, I'm out of eggs. Of course, in the grand scheme of things it's a blessing that I'm out of eggs. All of that yummy butter and sugar would have gone straight to my middle and clung to me for who knows how long...and I had completely forgotten about writing today. So, here I am with nothing to write about but snickerdoodles (or lack thereof), but again, at least I'm writing! I'm in a wonderful, even inspring, writing environment right now. Kids in bed, hubby in the garage, and me alone in a quiet house listening to the rain. It's funny how pleasant the sound of rain is after two days of glorious sunlight. There is rarely a time when I don't mind the rain, but that is the case at the moment. For two days I've enjoyed sunlight and warmth. I've sat on the deck to study my Bible, I've pulled weeds while chatting on the phone, I've ridden bikes with my dear son and gone for walks with my dear daughter. Truly, the sunlight warms my soul. I struggle deeply with the long, gray, bleak Seattle winters. I always say you can take the girl out of California, but you can't take California out of the girl. It's cliche, but it's true. I have a deep-seeded need for sunlight; it is healing for me. It lifts my spirits and multiplies my energy. I've noticed this spring what a difference it makes in my son as well. The more time he spends playing outside, the happier he is...just like his mommy! This weekend is supposed to be magnificent, and I am so looking forward to spending time outside, enjoying God's creation, relaxing in the sunlight with my family. As bleak as the gray winter can be, days like these make the dreariness a distant, benign memory. The sunlight truly makes my heart sing and my soul take flight. The sunlight feels like poetry. Even just writing about it brings me peace, as though my very being were letting out a long, cleansing sigh. Days like today make me feel like Henry David Thoreau as he communed with nature and came to appreciate it in a way that we rarely (if ever) do...now if only I could write like him!

"Waves of serene life pass over us from time to time, like flakes of sunlight over the fields in cloudy weather."

What a perfect description! Serenity. That is what sunlight is to me. And in my search for the perfect Thoreau quote about sunlight, I also came across this perfectly post-worthy pearl:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Such hope and encouragement for this aspiring writer!