February 18

Although it didn't rain today, the sky was overcast from sunrise to sunset. There's something gloomy about plain old cloudy days; no sunshine to literally and figuratively lighten moods, no rain to wash away impurities. Still, I was taken by the view from my back yard this evening:

Despite the patchy clouds and darkness, the sky is still beautiful in its own way. Life is like that too: it's not always easy. It doesn't always go the way we pray it will. But there is always beauty to be found amid the trials and ugliness. And that's a blessing.