It’s Fall, Y’all!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”……. okay, so that line from a song is the wrong season, whatever. I am so happy that it is Fall. The other night I watched geese fly overhead in their typical V formation. The soybean fields surrounding my house are turning yellow. (Yes, soybean plants are beautiful in the Fall—unlike corn stalks, which get brown and dry before harvest.) The leaves here, are just barely starting to fade from their summer glory. The nights are cooler. Speaking of weather, I am not pleased that today, the first day of Fall, is supposed to be 87 degrees. What is with that? I am unable to wear all my super cozy sweaters when it is that warm! I still have a box fan going in the house—even with all my Fall decorations now in place, around the house. I am ready to burn my apple/pumpkin/cinnamon candles. Being the weather geek that I am, I watch my local meteorologist every night, live on Facebook, who is kind enough to give all us weather geeks the details. He said Ohio is going to remain in the 80’s well into October. Noooooooooo!!! That just isn’t right, people.

Here is a post from my archives……enjoy it while you sip some hot coffee (or if you are in the same overly warm circumstance as I am….iced coffee).

Fall Montage

This is what I love… My favorite season of the year…

This is what I’m looking forward to seeing, I can’t wait!

This is a visual montage of what Fall means to me…

I love Autumn- Yes, I do!

I love Autumn-How ’bout you?

 

 

Make Time To Be Thankful

The sunlight is streaming across the yard. The air is not yet warm, on this mid May morning, as I make my way over to the barn. During my walk, I like to look over the back pasture to where the green grass touches the blue sky. I have the fleeting thought that I could put a chair right there in the side yard, and sit and read, and watch the world go by and be completely content.

If only I could. If only life allowed for more of the quiet, contemplative moments. Instead, there are appointments to keep, people to meet, deadlines, online, sidelines and stuff. Always stuff. I do try to make time in the every day to slow down. To enjoy. I just wish there was more of it.

Today I am thankful for:

*Blue skies *Iced coffee *Barn cats *Petting the horse’s soft velvet nose *Laughing with my husband *Quiet mornings *The last week of school *Checking off assignments *Mowed Yard *Anticipation of summer trips *Another day to take a moment to breathe it all in

None Of Us Will Make It Out Alive

I just read a story about Rory and Joey Feek. Joey, of the husband wife country duo, Joey+Rory, is dying. She doesn’t have many days left on this earth. I recently saw the picture of her laying in bed with her baby girl. It was so touching. She knows she is dying, and so the moments are all the more precious. Every. Moment. Is. Precious.

I can’t help but remember and relive those feelings of being in “the last days”. It was fifteen years ago this week that my husband died. Fifteen years is a long time. If he had lived, he would now be 49. Our son, was 5 when he died. That 5 year old is now a 20 year old college student. Back in November of 2000, I didn’t know what my life would be like, at the time I couldn’t even imagine.

Death is always difficult…to the one that is dying, and to the loved ones left behind. None of us are going to make it out of this life, alive. That is why, in my opinion, it is so important to live the moments of life with that in mind. Yes, we forget. Yes, we get busy. I know. We all allow the minutiae of the day to fill our calendars and clocks. It is so easy to push back the important moments, the simple yet beautiful moments, for the urgent.

Try, just for today, to live your day with your eyes wide open to the beauty. Be grateful. Begin to make it a habit. That way, when you find yourself in your last days, you will remember a life well lived.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”… James 4:13-15

The Lost Ring

Two years ago, while drying my hands in a public restroom, I noticed my silver ring was missing! It was a favorite ring I wore every day. Where could I have lost it? I actually dug through the paper towels in the restroom trash can looking to see if my ring had slipped off while drying my hands. It was not there. I looked in the car, I looked at home, I even looked in the yard. After searching for days and, coming up empty, I decided that I had lost the ring for good and would probably never see it again. I knew it was just a ring and there are worse things to lose, and I realized it would probably not be valuable to anyone else but me….still, I was sad that I had lost it.

Now, this is going to sound crazy but, here is the story. A few weeks ago I was looking at my hands and noticed my wedding ring/bands were sliding around on my finger. Noticing my rings and worrying they might slide off made me think about the silver ring I had lost. I wondered if it had ever been found, and was now being worn by someone new? Sigh….. I thought to myself, “God, I know it is silly, but I miss that ring.”

Yesterday evening, my husband and I were cleaning our car, getting ready to trade it in for a newer vehicle. My husband down on the floor of the car, vacuum in hand, was reaching under the front seat. He said, “Look what I found!” I looked over at him and he was holding my long lost ring! A smile lit up my face.

Yes, it is a simple thing. Yes, there are much more important things in life than a lost ring. Yet, the story of the ring reminds me that there is nothing too small for God to care about. Often times we only want to come to God with the big things. The heavy burdens. The things we feel are worthy. We forget that although God is big, He still cares about the small. He knows our hearts.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7 NIV

October, How I Love Thee…

Oh, October! How I love thee. Let me count the ways…

1. A cool morning breeze, that begs me to wear a sweater.

2. Low hanging gray clouds, allowing only a peek of blue underneath.

3. Pumpkins at the grocery store, pumpkins at roadside stands, pumpkins at the Farmer’s Market.

4. Spiced coffee and pumpkin flavored muffins.

5. Cozy blankets to snuggle in.

6. Warm candles in apple, pumpkin, and cinnamon scents.

7. Sweaters and fluffy socks, and boots.

8. Fall festivals and harvest time and corn shocks and drives on the country back roads.

9. Brilliant colors of yellow, orange and red.

10. And football.

Allow The Beauty To Shine Through

Over the next month, the vibrant greens of summer will begin to fade. The evenings will take on an early, almost- autumn chill, and the leaves on the trees will turn. I enjoy this time of year. This time of anticipation that leads up to full blown Fall in all its glorious splendor.

How many of us feel we are in the late summer of our lives? Youth has faded, and the days take on a different hue. Some people mourn the passing of time, and long for the fresh days of Spring…..but, not me. I am living in anticipation for what is about to come. Life in autumn, that is ablaze with color, with the warmth of family and friends, and filled with thanksgiving.

The older I get, the more I have learned to appreciate the gifts each day offers. This mysterious truth: When I am thankful for all things in this life, at all stages, the more beautiful life becomes.

Thanksgiving in big and small ways, allows the beauty to shine through.

I am thankful: For a fresh mowed yard and a daughter who actually enjoys the job. Morning glories winding their way over the porch banister. A fluffy puppy who loves to play fetch and head butts me until I play too. The smell of the home made vanilla bean lotion that I picked up at the Farmer’s Market last weekend. Fresh, ice cold water that satisfies my thirst. New exciting ideas for my new business. A supportive husband who has faith in me. Rides in the car with my adult children and our conversations that make me laugh out loud. Slow sunsets that melt into the horizon. Standing out in the yard at night, with my family, watching as the space station flies overhead. Marveling at the wonder of it all. My faith in Jesus Christ, the Name above all others….who was, and is, and is to come. Amen.

Life is good.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 106:1

All Of My Days

Time has a way of sneaking up on a person. Do you, too, feel the sands of time slipping through your fingers?  The other day a friend mentioned that she could not believe how in a few short years she will be celebrating her fiftieth birthday. I can relate. I have young adult children—young ADULT, for cryin’ out loud! Next month my son will be going back to college for his sophomore year. I was starting my sophomore year of college in 1987. Weren’t the ’80’s, just the other day? Sigh…….I’m feeling a little old today.

The months slip by and the seasons come and go. Today, on my way back from the mailbox, I looked up at the gray sky, felt the unseasonably cool temperatures, and realized just a mere three months from today we will be smack dab in the middle of Fall! You know, brightly colored leaves, pumpkin flavored everything, and football games. From there, it is a short and fast trip to Christmas. Then the year is over.

Holding on to the moments, by letting go of time……..appreciating the memories and not worrying about the future. Resting in the One who already knows all of my days.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

Slowing Down

The sky loomed dark on the horizon when I went out to feed the animals. It was going to rain, and I hoped I could get back from the barn before the rain started. The air was moist and a cool breeze was blowing. It felt wonderful against my warm skin. I do not enjoy the uncomfortable heat and humidity, it is for those reasons that I tend to not like summer very much. On my walk across the yard I allowed my gaze to rest on the newly sprouting corn, the stalks and leaves covering the field with vibrant green. The sky was smeared in gray all the way to where it touched the horizon. I saw (and heard) the killdeer letting me know that I was intruding on their space. Jack, one of our male barn cats, followed along with me, as did the dogs. The raindrops started to lightly splatter to the ground. I imagined the countryside scene on this rainy morning looked a lot like a scene from an Old English storybook. I’ve never been to England, but this is what I see in my mind’s eye. I think I might have read too much Beatrix Potter as a child.

Life seems to have slowed down a bit on this late June morning. I don’t have anything pressing for my schedule, aside from needing to finish up some necessary paperwork. I like days like this. Quiet and peaceful with time to reflect. God is so good, and there is so much to be thankful for.

Philippians 4:8-9   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and  received and heard and seen  in me—practice these things, and  the God of peace will be with you.

It Is More Than Just A Word

I am a huge fan of the Gaines family of Waco, Texas, so whenever I see something about them, I drop whatever I am doing to watch. Joanna Gaines and her husband, Chip, are the stars of the wildly popular show, Fixer Upper, on HGTV. This morning I watched a short video clip of Joanna Gaines discussing some of her life story. She talked about trusting God, and believing in His timing. Her words resonated with me because they felt so familiar to my own.

I, too, have often asked God what His plan is for me? He knows me and is intimately knowledgable of all my thoughts and dreams. God knows what would make me happy and ultimately what would bring Him glory. I am left wondering how will He intertwine my personal passions into His plan? I realize that much of my frustration comes from the fact that my timing is not His. So many times, I have wanted something to happen, and it doesn’t. I tell God, “I don’t get it”! He reassuringly responds, “You aren’t ready yet. Be patient.”

There is a peace in knowing that God has me. When I am unable to see even a few seconds into the future–He already knows how everything will turn out. There is no safer place to share my dreams than with the One who knows my soul. He hears the whispers that no one else can hear. He reminds me of all the ways that I am His unique creation, and that there is no one else in all of history that is just like me. More importantly, He has and continues to show me, His abiding love.

Trust.

It is more than just a word.

It is an action.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Aren’t There Miracles For Each Of Us?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.             I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Life isn’t always easy, we all feel that… but, when I make a concerted effort to search for all the good, all the wonders, all of God’s amazing graces, I am the one that changes. I am the one whose eyes are opened. Everything around me might stay the same, but my attitude of thankfulness allows me to not be blinded to even the smallest miracles of the day to day. 

And, aren’t there so many miracles for each of us?

*dark clouds and summertime rain…I love summer thunderstorms

*big, fluffy clouds stacked high

*a cool breeze

*a relaxed schedule

*running barefoot

*a good nights sleep, rumpled sheets and a soft pillow

*petting the dogs and de-stressing, is there a friend more loyal than a dog?

*beautiful pink and purple and red flowers

*freshly mowed grass

*friendship and fellowship

*the sweet smell of lavender

*a cute new hairstyle

*God, who loves…