Sunshine

"...Her angel's face, As the great eye of heaven shined bright, And made a sunshine in the shady place. "
Edmund Spenser

My little duckie is wearing a onesie today that says "You are my sunshine".  I bought it for her because I must have sung her that song a hundred times when she was tiny and screaming all the time.  Back then I think I was trying to convince myself, but now I know for certain: this little girl is my sunshine, and here's why:

She makes things grow.  My heart is full of loves springing up like weeds in the sunlight of my daughter.  Her awe-filled gaze makes me love my life more, makes me once again grateful for trees, rain, bright colors, and friendly faces.

She warms me.  In the middle of tears or anger, I am stopped in my tracks when she smiles at me or chuckles in her sleep.  Who can stay cold in the summer sun of those smiles?

She pulls all of us along in her orbit.  Everyone who's around her gets sucked in, no exceptions.  Maybe it's the gravity of those little eyes.

Her patterns set my day.  When she's up, I'm up.  When she sets for the day into her crib, my eyes close not long after. 


So that's why she's my sunshine, my only sunshine, who makes me happy when skies are gray. :)