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| Letting the Sunshine In |
"Let the blessed sunshine in,
Let the blessed sunshine in,
Open up the windows, open wide the doors,
And let the blessed sunshine in."
This is a song my mother would often sing in the mornings, as she went around the house opening the drapes and windows. I don't know if there are any additional verses, who might have written it, or when she learned it. But I find myself singing this song most mornings, myself.
The weather forecast had said to expect rain, today, but there was bright sunshine, instead. So, I opened the drapes and windows and "let the blessed sunshine in". The forecast now says the rain is expected on Sunday night/Monday morning.
Today was a productive day. Today, I did office work for the most part. But, in between, I spoke with my friend's older daughter (no change in her mom's condition), dusted the living room, dining area, hallway, and family room, put away the washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen counters and did today's dishes, did a load of laundry, watered the garden both front and back (I had been holding off in case it rained, but I can't wait without watering until Sunday night), watered the houseplants, exchanged emails with a friend, had a phone call from another friend, and video chatted with my daughter. I still need to clean the litter box and sweep the bathroom.
Wednesday's To Do List:
- Office work - DONE
- A few items from the list below -DONE
Thursday:
- Office work
- Appointment with podiatrist
- Additional items from the list below
Other things to be done:
- Laundry - DONE
- Water the garden, front and back - DONE
- Plant the new plants
- Dust - DID SOME
- Vacuum
- Clean the kitchen - STARTED
- Clean the bathrooms
- Grocery shop
Today, I am grateful for:
- Sunshine
- A song my mother used to sing
- A productive day
- Keeping in touch with friends
- Video chatting with my daughter
How was your day? Did you have sunshine, today?
Oh Bless. I was sorry to read about your friend. I hope her daughter's are ok.
ReplyDeleteNo chance of letting the sunshine in here, unfortunately. It's a very dark and wet day. X
Thank you, Jules. They are dealing with it as best as they can.
DeleteSorry its a dark and wet day, there. I'm sending you some of our sunshine! Hope you receive it. Hope you have a blessed day.
What a sweet little song and cheerful way to greet the day! Was curious and Googled the lyrics. It appears to be a verse from a children's song or adaptation from a longer hymn. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=71034
Oh, thank you, Carolyn for looking it up! My mother knew a lot of these little songs. "Little drops of water, little grains of sand" was one of them. There was another song about the Little Engine that Could; all I remember of that is the "I think I can, I..think..I can.., I...think...I...can" sung slower and slower as the engine made its way up the hill and the "I said I could, I said I could, I said, I said, I said I COULD" sung faster and faster (and louder!) as it came down the hill! :D
DeleteYour song made me smile! I often think of the song "You are my sunshine" when I open the curtains each morning- my great aunt used to sing that song to me when I was little and tell me how I brought sunshine to her life because I was born shortly after her husband passed away.
ReplyDeleteOh my, you really got a lot done in your day! I'm tired out just reading your list- haha. I feel like I've been productive lately too but there are some big organizing projects I want to take on in my home after the holidays are over.
I am so sorry about your friend's condition, Bless. My thoughts and prayers are with her as well as all those whose life she touched. ((Hugs)) to you.
I used to sing that song to my daughter when she was a baby! :D
DeleteSome days tend to be productive; other days, not as much. I find I am able to get a lot accomplished, once I start. It is the getting started, that takes effort!
Thank you, Dawn. This particular friend was there for me when I was going through a difficult period in my life. I shall never forget that.
Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman who loves life. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. She was and she did. No matter what life threw at her, she embraced it. It's been 10 years since she died, but she still looms large in my life. :)
DeleteThat sounds like a busy day! I love the sound of letting the sunshine it! x
ReplyDeleteThere are some days when I can get a lot accomplished. The rest of the time, I tend to rest on my laurels!
DeleteThe down side of letting the sunshine in is, you get to see all the dust motes!
I love that photo of the window at the top of this post. Is this a room in your house? When I open up the drapes in my windows, I am also singing in my head. This is a song my dad always sang. "So let the sunshine in, face it with a grin. Smilers never lose and frowners never win. So let the sunshine in, face it with a grin, open up your heart and let the sunshine in!" I think it is from an old country song.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you can still let the sunshine in. You have had a horrid week, and sometimes it is difficult to even notice that the day is sunny. That is a lot of bad news for one to get in a week, and it amazes me that you find the blessings in each and every day. But I understand you can appreciate the fact that you had your friend in your life and you have your memories of her. Your own life is shaped by the fact that she was part of it. She was there for you when you needed her, and the loss is painful. I am thinking of you.
Susan, yes, it is the window between the living room and dining area, facing the south. I've three such windows on that wall, but this is the window I open the most, because the middle window is behind the dining table which is pushed all the way to the wall when not in use and the 3rd window is behind the china cabinet.
ReplyDeleteI looked up the song your dad used to sing. According to Wikipedia, it was written by Stuart Hamblen and published in 1954.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Up_Your_Heart_(And_Let_the_Sunshine_In)
I listened to recordings of it on YouTube, by the McGuire Sisters and by Kitty Wells. Catchy tune!
I went through a rather "down in the dumps" time about 20 years ago. One of the ways I dragged myself out of it was to start counting my blessings. I challenged myself to write down 100 things for which I was grateful. I didn't think I could find 5, but by the time I got to 100, I couldn't even stop! Being alive, being relatively healthy, being able to see, hear, walk, talk, having all my limbs, a home, my mother, my daughter, being employed, earning a steady income which enabled me to support myself and my child, sufficient money for my "bread and butter" with enough leftover for jam, etc., etc., etc. After that, I started to write down 5 things I was grateful for, each day. I continue to do so. Some days, it's the small things we often take for granted: sunshine to raise our spirits or rain to water the garden; running water and indoor plumbing; electricity to light my house and run the appliances; working appliances. I am not a Pollyanna, but the blessings are all there, and when I count them, I know I have no cause to complain.