What a Ray of Sunshine Can Do 



BY THE MAN WITH HIS EYES OPEN 



It was a rather gloomy room and a very 

 gloomy day. There were many at work in the 

 room and they all looked weary and dispirited. 



* * * 



There was a break in the cloud and a ray of 

 sunshine managed to find its Avay through the 

 window and made a little lake of gold upon the 

 floor, and scattered a golden glow all around. 



* ❖ ❖ 



One of the workers began to whistle. He 

 did not know just why, he whistled a merry 

 tune because he felt like it. The little spot 

 of sunshine on the floor had been reflected on 

 his heart. 



* ❖ ❖ 



The faces of the workers brightened. They 

 were not so weary as they had been. The work 

 was not so hard. The little ray of sunshine had 

 lifted the mists from their hearts. They 

 worked at their tasks with more spirit. 



* ❖ * 



Strange how much one little ray of sunshine 

 can do. 



* ❖ ❖ 



I saw an old man going home from his day's 

 work. He was bent with toil and his shabby 

 clothes showed that the world had gone hard 

 with him. His face was heavy and his eyes 

 dull. He was looking backward at troubles 

 past, and forward to troubles yet to come. 

 There is something pathetic about an old nian 

 whose course is nearly run, but who still has 

 to struggle day by day to win his daily bread. 



* * ❖ 



A young man coming along briskly stopped 

 for a moment, spoke a cheery word about the 

 w^eather, said he was glad to learn the old man 

 had been so lucky as to get back the job he 

 had lost through sickness, hoped he would soon 

 ;be as strong as ever and ready to run a foot 

 .race — and he passed on. 



^; ;'j ;!> 



But the old man bent less as he walked, and 

 his steps were brisker. His face had lost its 

 leaden look. He ceased thinking about the 

 troubles that had been and the troubles that 

 were to be and thought about the pleasant, 

 cheery, hopeful words the young man had 

 spoken. 



* * ❖ 



Strange how much sunshine a cheery word can 

 make. 



There is never a day that we do not have a 

 chance, yes, many chances, to shed sunshine into 

 shaded lives. 



* ❖ ❖ 



It does not require much effort. It does not 

 cost a cent. It does not take any sunshine away 

 from those who shed it. 



* * * 



The sun cannot help shining. It sheds sun- 

 shine in all directions all the time, because it 

 has so much sunshine that it does it without 

 trying. 



* * ❖ 



And the surest way to shed sunshine is to 

 have our own hearts so full of sunshine that we 

 can't help it. 



* * * 



And now some one says : Yes, is is easy enough 

 to shed sunshine if you are blessed with a sun- 

 shiny disposition. 



* * * 



To a very large extent we make our own dis- 

 positions. 



* * * 



We can drive the sunshine out of our hearts 

 by thinking about ourselves and brooding over 

 our own troubles and grievances. 



^ * 



You never saw a person who was all wrapped 

 up in himself that had a sunshiny disposition. 



* ❖ * 



And you never saw a person whose heart was 

 filled with real love for others that did not have 

 a sunshiny disposition. 



* * * 



For love is the sunshine of life and if our 

 hearts are filled with love and good will for all 

 emaukind v/e can no more help shedding sunshine 

 into other lives than the sun can help pouring 

 sunshine on the earth. 



* ❖ * 



But selfishness is a dismal swamp from which 

 arise clouds of discontent that enfold us, and 

 shut the sunshine out of our own lives and pre- 

 vent us from shedding sunshine into the lives 

 of others. 



* * * 



Blessed is he who forgetteth himself and 

 seeks the happiness of others, for verily his life 

 shall be filled with sunshine, and he will uncon- 

 sciously and without effort scatter sunshine 

 wherever he goeth. 



