"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are gray... You'll never know, dear, how much I love you... Please don't take my sunshine away."

If I had to pick one thing I love more than anything else, I would probably say ice cream. Reconsidering, I would say a good sunrise/ sunset. Something about watching the rays unfold from behind the clouds and spread out over the land, fill the roads and hills with light, and being able to literally soak it all in is one of the best and most pure things I have ever experienced. People talk about where they feel God the most. For some, they feel Him running or exercising, living through Him in volunteer work, but for me- I feel Him most when those beams of light unfold from ground level and rise into the sky.

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to take more pictures of the sun. At the time, I thought it would be something fun to do/ look forward to, but it quickly became more than that. As I took the time to slow down, get out my phone, and actually look up- I found myself embracing the sun that much more. Taking pictures of the sun quickly turned into one of my favorite things, and I began looking to Mother Nature when I wanted a pick-me-up. The year is almost over and my camera roll is filled with pictures of sunrises, sunsets, and everything in between. What started as taking pictures of the sun turned into soaking in the sun, and in a sense, becoming my own light.

Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." The sun doesn't care who is there to watch it rise or set, it does so anyway. Just like the sun, we are who we are whether people appreciate the depths of our light or not. I learned to shine. Shine on my own, shine with others, but I learned to let my light out. I try to bring a little sunshine to all I do, for it is much easier to relate to a good mood than a bad one. I try to appreciate the little things around me, because sometimes the small things that go unnoticed can yield the greatest happiness. I spend more time with the people who improve me as a human and I try to avoid as much negativity as I can. Being a light can't always be a constant in life, but trying your best to appreciate and show a little light in all you do is worth the while. Being the "light of the world" is a heavy role to take on, but living your best life as the ray of light you are is one of the most rewarding things I have come to experience.

My best friend got me flowers the other day and sang me the "You Are My Sunshine" song. Of course I was extremely happy (I love flowers almost as much as a good sunrise), but I was very overwhelmed with emotions. I am an emotional person and there's no sugar coating that, but knowing that whatever I was doing to be someone else's sunshine filled me with something that is absolutely irreplaceable to me. The love that comes with the light you bring to the table is overwhelming, and from the outpouring support that I am blessed and grateful enough to feel from my family and friends, I constantly feel loved and able to spread my light with others.

Notice the light, spread the light, but most importantly, be the light.