Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.

SUNSHINE!

Posted Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at 10:34 AM

Dogwoods in Tower Grove Park in St.Louis are magnificient but do not compare to the redbuds blossomed now and the dogwoods soon to come in our Ripley County landscape.

SUNSHINE! Here you are! I have been missing you just as I missed seeing during holidays and vacations that high school boy (or maybe two) who gave me his ring. Sure, I remember their names, but they don't come around any more, and when they did, it wasn't nearly as regularly as you have been known to pop in. Where ya been? Our game of hide-and-seek has lasted too long. You don't have to stay away because of covid-19. You've got this social distancing down to a science - 92.751 million miles, no more, no less, thank you. We could say about 93,000,000 for school tests, but 'about' is not good enough these days.

Soggy spring has missed you, too, though she tried to lift our spirits without you. With no sun to dry out her wardrobe, spring worked extra hard to don the first outifts through the mud and high water. The colors - yellows, whites, pastel pinks and an occasional standout red - were pleasing under gray skies but she needed the sun to spotlight the rest of the colors on the earth's catwalk. Since your welcome appearance today, spring has decided to bring out the redbuds. Soon she will be flaunting their vibrant hues as the earth greens up to sport dogwood blossoms, a stunning accessory to spring's fashion show. Gaudy? Never!

Sunny Boy, your appearance is an attitude changer and a mood booster. No one will dare complain about the heat you might generate, at least not yet, not on your first visit in a while. You see, Mr. Sunshine, you have drawn us out of our artificially lit abodes to walk through the drying earth in wonderful, bright natural light, you, the original provider of that full-spectrum frequency that battles the blues hanging around here. The songbirds' serenades in varying keys and rhythms blend into the perfect ballad for long-awaited mind-clearing promenades or mindful meditations anywhere in your rays.

Some of us cannot walk hand in hand. Such a lonesome shame. Some circles these days are mighty limited, so expanding our possibilities for movement and offering a bit of extra outdoor space is gracious of you. Those among us working relentlessly for our general welfare might sense a soothing caress in your presence. Your touch is safe, healing and energy-giving.

You have mystical powers to decrease anxiety, to temporarily banish escalating fear, to open wide the windows of hope in our souls. If you go away, and you will, Mr. Sunshine, don't stay away too long.