The temperature was near freezing and the wind was blowing so hard it was difficult to stand straight or still.  Cold temperatures and strong winds are two things that usually work against my type of photography.  But on this day I was determined not to allow these hindrances to slow me down and certainly not to stop me.  So off I go wandering through woods and soon realize that the things I had previously labeled hindrances, obstructions and obstacles had somehow been transformed into benefits.

        What was it that could produce such a dramatic transformation?  What is the magic formula that turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones?  We have all been told the same old story about lemons and lemonade when things don't turn out the way we want, but few times have I been given an easy recipe for really good lemonade.  On this day my lemons took the shape of a bitter cold temp and a harsh stinging wind.  I stood at a cross road and I had a decision to make; am I going to get back in the car and find something easier to do or am I going to step over the difficulties and make the most of this day.

        Gladly I chose to fill my jug with the icy cold and the bitter wind and I began to stir my ingredients around as I made my way through a path I considered easier said than done.  Then I realized my recipe was missing something; I needed to add something to sweeten my lemonade because it was too sour and tart for my taste.  So I reach way down deep inside me and pull out some cheerfulness and add it to the other ingredients and keep on stirring as I continue to walk.  To my amazement things began to change; the sky became bluer, the sun shown brighter and the chill was easier to swallow. 

        Today we will be handed another bag of lemons.  Some of our bags will be sweeter than others, but we all face problems, burdens and difficulties.  But happily we have a choice when it comes to the recipe we will follow today.  Will we choose to add more bitterness to our troubles by complaining or will we sweeten this day with a spoonful of cheerfulness?  Happiness is a choice; choose to live a cheerful life and spread some sunshine everywhere you go.

Something to think about:

• Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance—the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, will maintain it longer, than the sad or sullen.

• Cheerfulness is the atmosphere in which all things thrive.

• The cheerful person sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storm.

• I have met people so empty of joy that when I clasped their frosty fingertips it seemed as if I were shaking hands with a northeast storm. Others there are whose hands have sunbeams in them, so that their grasp warms my heart. It may be only the clinging touch of a child’s hand, but there is as much potential sunshine in it for me as there is in a loving glance for others.

• There are few dark days ahead for those who have learned to spread sunshine.

• Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

Thankful for cheerful friends
Rickey Moore