This Week

I'm a little under the weather this week. I'll be back next week. As Thanksgiving approaches, let's be thinking about the beauty around us and what type of beauty we are thankful for and why (ex: music, dance, literature, creation, etc). If you have a minute, leave a comment about it.

In the Mountains

I was in the midst of beauty last weekend. We stole away to the north Georgia mountains for a few days. Along the way up to the cabin, we drove across a small bridge over a stream that was rushing from recent rainfalls. We went through a narrow passageway with the leaves on both sides; the woods appeared to be on fire all around us. When we got up to our home for the weekend, we stood on the front porch and gazed at the mountains in the distance, with the trees below. It was gorgeous. We were grateful.

Inside the simple, comfortable, and newly-built cabin, the fragrance of wood paneling welcomed us at the door. Every window opened onto a different view of creation. Ahhhh...Whatever stress we felt before leaving home began to melt away until what was left was peace. Just what we needed.

A Few Things I Love about Fall

"The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day." ~Kenneth Patton (courtesy of my friend Bonnie Bruno)

A Few Things I Love About Fall:

leaves in full glory, giving glory to their Creator
pumpkins of every size as far as the eye can see
clear blue cloudless sky
little kids wearing orange
blue jeans and sweaters and rugged old shoes
apples
applesauce
apple cinnamon anything
fall festivals
the smell of a fire
chilly temperatures that turn noses pink
colorful scarves handmade by my nieces and my friend
flannel pajama pants on Sunday afternoons
cozy evenings at home
giving thanks

How about you? What do you love about the fall?

Painted Leaves

"October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. These little leaves are the stained windows in the cathedral of my world." Henry David Thoreau

Fall is just now beginning to make her appearance where I live. Lately, we've had unseasonably warm temperatures and sometimes devastating flooding. I've never seen as much rain as we have had this last month or so. People have lost their homes to creeks and the river rising. The severe drought that I've occasionally written about on this blog is officially over.

But I don't want to write about rain as I sit enjoying the sunlight streaming through my windows today. Sunlight, sunbeams, sun's rays: all beautiful sights to see-- and by which to see. It seems as though the season of fall and the way the sun falls on the earth makes all the colors brighter and more vivid. Maybe it's just the chilly temperatures invigorating me or the anticipation of the colors of the leaves--"painted leaves", as Thoreau says.

We've had some leaves changing here. Our dogwood leaves put on a rich dark red last week and now they're wearing brown. But one tree stands out to me right now. The tree at the entrance to our neighborhood is on fire. It's one of my favorites in the fall because its gorgeous, flaming orange welcomes me home and reminds me of coziness, warmth, and family.

What are your favorite "painted leaves"? Do you have a favorite tree or memory of a tree in the fall? Tell me about it. Leave a comment.

Retreating at Camp WinShape

Last weekend I attended my first CS Lewis Fellows Retreat at Camp WinShape Retreat Center. The retreat center was absolutely gorgeous. The buildings are done in a Normandy, France style with white-washed brick, dark brown wood, spires and arches. The indoor spaces were warm and welcoming, with exposed brick, high windows, and hardwoods. The view was gorgeous, with mountains in the distance and remnants of a dairy farm below. Aesthetically, I was in heaven.

And spiritually too! I spent most of my time thinking, talking and learning about the Creator. To be in that place with other people who are serious about pursuing God, about knowing Him better, made the surroundings and the weekend all the more beautiful.

Have you had a similar experience of finding a place even more beautiful because of the people you are sharing it with? Tell me about it.

My Daughter's Art Piece

"What nature-lover's tongue can tell,
What golden pen portray,
The outpoured, flaming splendors
Of a bright September day?"
Charles G. Stater

Happy September! We've had so much rain this week we are feeling water-logged, but I am not complaining. We've been in severe drought these last two years, so I'm grateful to see, feel, and smell that wet stuff that falls from the sky. But right now, the sun is shining and for the moment at least, it is a bright September day. This is one of my favorite months because my daughter was born in September. It's also a nice transitional time between the heat of August and the coming fall.

Speaking of my daughter, right now I'm looking at one of her art projects that hangs in my office over my printer. A landscape done from pastels, this piece shows the sun setting over purple mountains with a green valley and blue lake below. The water reflects the fiery sun as tall water plants on the shore frame it. The blues, purples, and greens of this piece catch my eye and hold it. When I look at it, I think of her and of the Creator Who created the landscape and inspired the art (and the art teacher). And I give thanks for the beauty around me, both inside these four walls and out.

Have a bright September day.

A Softer Shade of Beauty

School is back in session so we're getting up and out early. This morning, while I was loading the car, I could see pink through the garage windows. I ran to the ones that face the front of the house and saw some faint streaks of pink. That little bit of pink sifted through the trees onto the grass, the driveway, and the curled-up leaves on the driveway, and turned them all a softer shade of beauty. When I will realize that when morning breaks, I should be out on my porch drinking it in? I need to figure out how to carve out some morning minutes for that.