A little ray of sunshine.

Posted on by

It doesn’t have to be summertime for there to be a little ray of sunshine in your day! A bright, positive attitude can bring brightness to the gloomiest of circumstances. Looking for hope in a situation can help prevent you from  being overwhelmed by the adversity. It can keep you motivated as you go through the crisis until you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Admittedly there are some days when tragedy strikes or a huge disappointment has to be dealt with and it is impossible to feel anything but depression or negativity. That’s a natural and expected way to react to a serious life event. Some people however have a pessimistic outlook that overshadows everything, which is emotionally draining not only for themselves but those around them.

I grew up in a fearful atmosphere of darkness. Experience taught me not to expect good from anything or anybody. Depression and alcoholism took its hold and life was pretty grim. As I developed into an adult so did my self-fulfilling prophesy of doom and gloom. Nothing good had ever happened to me, so nothing ever would. And if it did then it would be destroyed by something bad. Whilst I had alcohol  - ‘my sunshine in a bottle’, I could  manage my disappointments, rejections and failures in life. But when it finally came time to give up the drink for good, my pessimistic self feared the worst.

Thankfully my journey of recovery involved breaking down the psychological barriers that were keeping me in dark oppression. I replaced each negative omen with a little ray of sunshine that came in the form of trust, kindness, hope, healing. But it was reclaiming my faith that brought the biggest light to my life. The light of love.

On those days when I feel the clouds have gathered or I’m in the midst of a personal storm I am reassured that it won’t be long before I feel the warmth of affection. Those that love me are my little rays of sunshine. They are family and friends who illuminate my life and reveal the glittering promises of good things to come.

Nandina Morris said, “Don’t let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow.” I agree. It’s time to stop living in the sombre past. It’s time to enjoy a bright future!

Top image  http://www.etsy.com/listing/87575928/you-are-my-sunshine-print-yellow-gifts Thanks to Kathy Panton

64 thoughts on “A little ray of sunshine.”

  1. Pingback: the saving grace of sunshine «

  2. Pingback: sunshine and possibilities « onbeingmindful

  3. I was physically abused by my father. Then had 2abusive marriages. All the while I was an alcoholic. It took the power of God to set me free. Now im free from alcohol. God is helpin me get through the abuse. Things are really lookin up for me

    Reply ↓

    • Carrie you have been through such difficult times and come through them all the stronger. I’m so glad that you have found your faith and the healing that comes with it. Congratulations on your sobriety Carrie!

      Reply ↓

  4. I grew up much the same as you for the first 11 years of my life. It took its tole after I was 23 and I am so very blessed to have crossed the rocky path I did and come out on the other side :) I am grateful for all the experiences I have had..They make me who I am:)

    Reply ↓

  6. Thanks so much Carolyn for this wonderful ray of sunshine! A long time ago I was sitting in an unemployment office, not feeling good at all about my situation. There on the agent’s wall was a paper called “Attidude” by Charles Swindoll. I was so moved by it I asked her for a copy. I folded it up and threw it in a drawer somewhere.
    Over a decade and several moves later God brought it right back to me, still folded as I left it several years earlier. I’ve tried to live my life that way ever since.

    Reply ↓

  7. Carolyn, thank you! I am lucky enough to have many friends in my life who provide the extra sunshine I need on bad days. And when you write about the darkness of your past, you inspire me to get on with writing about mine. Different circumstances or details, but I feel like we went through many of the same emotions and difficulties in childhood. It is not always easy, but it is essential to look away from that past, and live in the sunshine of the present, and the future.

    Reply ↓

    • I find writing is a great way to sort my head out Barbara. Sometimes it helps just to write freely and then throw it away! As you say, it isn’t easy but it is essential to look away from the past. Keep heading to the bright side :)

      Reply ↓

      • You’re stronger than I am – I can never write and throw away! I think because I’m an editor by trade, I edit as I go when I write, which means writing take longer, and my first draft is in my head. I’m trying to let go of that a little, but it is the way I write: intensely. :)

  8. Pingback: A little ray of sunshine | Teenage Whisperer Weekly | Scoop.it

  10. Love Always Hopes! “It was reclaiming my faith that brought the biggest light to my life. The light of love.” Thank you for reminding us that there is ALWAYS HOPE! Let’s refocus our lives onto Life, Light, Hope, & Love! Thank you Carolyn

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you for your inspiring comments Jenny. One of the best life lessons I have learned is that there is always Hope. It’s always easy to see at the time, but it is there. :)

      Reply ↓

  11. Another great post! I’m SO glad you have found your way back home to your Father and faith in Him and are able to share so freely with us and encourage others! What an awesome gift following such a difficult journey!!

    Reply ↓

  16. Such an inspiring story, Carolyn. I marvel at how hard you’ve worked and what all you’ve overcome — you are such an inspiration!! I loved this quote, “Don’t let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow.” So very, very true!!

    Reply ↓

  18. Hi Carolyn, highly inspiring post. I grew up in a shadow environment. I realize that the people involved in my childhood were just doing the best they could at the time and they just didn’t know better. When I find myself around the shadow people (as I like to call them) I won’t allow their darkness to rain on my sunshine parade : )

    Reply ↓

  21. Carolyn,
    Thanks for sharing a piece of your story and reminding us, as the song says, “Gray skies are gonna clear up…Put on a happy face!”

    Reply ↓

  23. Every time I read one of your posts, I am amazed by your journey. You are such an inspiration, having gone through so much and now using your writing talents to take care of others.

    Reply ↓

  25. That’s all it takes–a little ray of sunshine to break through the darkness. Thanks for sharing about your journey. It’s inspiring and reminds me to hold on to my ” glittering promises of good things to come” every day!

    Reply ↓

  29. Yes Carolyn, a great post again. We all have those days where we think if somebody is out there even caring about us.David said in the Bible that he had to encourage himself; he is a great example to us on how to do things in life. Like you say, family and friends are very important!

    Reply ↓

    • Glad you like the post Olga. There are so many inspiring people that we can learn from and many of those I respect are those that have motivated themselves during the tough times!

      Reply ↓

      • I Know what you are talking about; I remember the times that I went through a very hard time in my life; my sister became an alcoholic in those days and my other sister wasn\’t able to cope with it and is mentally sick right now. I am so thankful that I was able to yield to the Lord (I strongly believe that, they have had the same opportunity) and He turned my life around. Same as you! Thanks you for your encouraging messages my friend!

      • Alcoholism is such a misunderstood condition that it’s only when it comes to your door that you realise that it has nothing to do with self control and is so much more complex than that. You have my prayers that your will see healing for your family members. Keep strong Olga :)

  31. Another great post, thank you! Kindling a sense of hope is so important and such a foundational healing issue that is often overlooked. In my work with teens you can’t help them change a single thing until they fundamentally believe there is a better future for them, it is attainable and they deserve it just as much as the next person.

    Reply ↓

I love to read your comments. Reply here!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s