Joyful Witness / Kimberly Pohovey

On light and dark days, God is always our blue sky

As I raked the falling leaves in my front yard, I took a brief break and looked up through the tree branches and viewed the vibrant orange leaves juxtaposed against the bluest sky I had ever seen. My immediate thought was “thank you, God.”

Next to my family and faith, I find what most evokes thanksgiving in me is the brilliance of nature. As I gazed up, I felt the warmth of the Indian summer sun, and I couldn’t help but feel the happiness of being enveloped in positivity.

Conversely, I woke up the following day to a gray sky and clouds that foretold of coming rain. The air temperature had chilled. I felt lethargic and tired the whole day. The gloom of the environment plunged my mood, leaving me with a definite lack of energy.

I can easily see why some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder. But I would wager that most of us deal with some sort of seasonal slump as the weather turns from fall to winter. The long stretch of dark skies and colder weather can easily affect our mood and outlook. It made me wonder what could combat these feelings.

I thought back to the bluest sky I had ever witnessed the day before. If only we had a brilliant blue sky to look at even during the darkest days, I can’t help but think we would remain positive and hopeful.

It reminded me of a remark in a book I read years ago. A young couple had recently wed. They lived in the South in a sunny, warm climate. The wife confided in her new husband that she has long suffered from depression but that living in a sunny spot of the world helped her. A few years go by, and the husband is offered an amazing work opportunity. However, it means relocating to New England. The wife wants to be supportive, but says that she is worried that the colder climate may worsen her depression. At that, the husband takes her into his arms and says, “I’ll be your blue sky.”

What struck me about this promise is that we all need a blue sky—whether we find that in nature, a loved one, or as I began to realize, in God.

Whether in the darkest moments of my life or merely in the long gray stretches of sadness, God has always been my blue sky.

Like the sky, he is always there. Like the sky’s expanse, I cannot go anywhere he does not touch. And like the sun that shines on blue sky days, he always radiates his love for me.

No matter whether I see blue in the heavens, I know he is the ever-faithful Father I can count on to take me in his arms and say, “I’ll be your blue sky.”

I only need to look up.
 

(Kimberly Pohovey is a member of St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis. She is the director of major and planned gifts for the archdiocese.) †