Tapestry of Life

The day is gray and gloomy, but the colors are bright and vivid in my area.  Cobalt, lime, orange...there's a beautiful spray of fall and other vibrant colors all around me.  It's the dying of the old giving way to the birth of the new, but the transition is lengthy and it seems so desolate and lonely while transitioning, but nonetheless, it's a beautiful transformation.

Gone is the Spring where the colors were bright and new and crisp.  The heat of the Summer is gone and now the changing of the leaves gives way to burned oranges and yellow-greens and rusts and sienna.  All these beautiful colors will all burst for a short time to only drop to the ground and lay in silence as the wind catches and takes them away.  It's beautiful and sad all at the same time.

I wonder why it happens like this?  I wonder why the leaves that are so beautiful and so vibrant and so full of color and wonder must fall to the ground and blow off in the wind?  Maybe it's to make way for another beautiful season that is to come?  Maybe it's to break up the seasonal monotony?  Maybe it's a God's way of replenishing and restoring His earth?  A global grooming so to speak.  I like the idea of the latter :)

Whether we're in the blooming of our spring-like days or transitioning in the solstice of our fall or winter, it's still appropriate to live in full color and live it out loud.  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall...all very different, all very colorful, all very whimsical in their own way.  Each season giving off it's own feeling and texture to the life it brings.  These seasons bring forth a tapestry that weaves into our daily lives and brings forth a beautiful pattern with its very own color wheel...we are so intricately diverse and complex, yet with each diversity and complexity comes a beauty that is simply outstanding!  

I'm never short of amazed at the differences we all hold.  It's like we are all a mosaic.  We in our own selves come to this blank canvas full of different colors, shapes, sizes, patterns, textures and piece ourselves one with another, knowingly or not, together to form a mass art structure that can stand alone or melt together to be something so spectacular that it's just breathtaking! 

Enjoy the pictures and remember that this season will pass very quickly with all of its beautiful and warm colors, but what you do today in this season can stand for years to come!

 

Refreshing

When you think of the word "refreshing," what do you think of?  First thing I think of is a cool glass of water.  The way it hits my mouth and cools me all the way down my throat and into my stomach.  Sometimes, when the water is cold enough, it feels cool into my stomach.  It's just a good feeling.  Thirsty, then you're suddenly satisfied and quenched.  Well, I'm talking about the same only different...not literally thirsty for water and not literally quenched in body. 

The mind and soul and heart are all thirsty and in need of refreshment.  When we're all bogged down and take on all the cares without the time to get a reprieve, you become emotionally de-hydrated and it can even lead to other things that will definately do you harm.  I try to take every day individually and find something, even if it's the littlest thing, that will bring a smile to my face, a sweet memory to mind, a favorite song, the feeling of the sun hitting my face, not too warm, not too cool, just a soothing feeling that makes me feel like I'm really not alone in this world.  Sometimes, God sends us people along our way to make us feel welcome in this world too.  Grab a hold of the one little thing that will make you feel good and don't let it go.  It may be the one thing that gets you through the day or night.

I'm sitting here with Jim Brickman playing in the background, a hot cup of coffee with my favorite seasonal creamer and looking over at a lit candle that's filling my space with a wonderful aroma of pumpkin and spices.  Not the most exciting thing happening in the world, but in my world, it's A-okay!

Until the next blog, take time to not only see the beauty around you, but take it into yourself and let it soothe your soul.  You may be surprised to realize that something so very small can make a huge impact on your heart and mind!

Silver Lining...

There's something to be said about closing one door and opening another.  Seems that's all I've experiencing lately.  Where one thing ends, another begins.  It's true what they say, when something ends, and you think you're going to be crushed in the emotion of it all, another thing comes your way and the elation and relief far outweighs the pain you had felt. 

Lots of things happen all the time.  Why is it that we only notice those things that either hit us right between the eyes for the good or for the bad?  What happens to all the other moments that happen in between?  There's an entire world of things that go unseen and unnoticed and we're none the wiser.  Why do we not notice the small simple things in life?  Rays of sunlight that hit the sky with beautiful hues of pink and orange, but we don't see it...I digress, back to my thoughts.

I guess the transition between the now and the not yet is most emotionally treacherous in the process, but once you transition, you realize that breathing seems easier, sleep is more restful, your mood that was once so solemn is now suddenly much better...everything is suddenly brighter and more vivid than ever before.

I stop to think about things from the past and all of a sudden I don't remember all the things that pushed me away for all the good things that have come my way so far...and all the things that are coming for that matter.  For once in a very long time I feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  Everything is finally lining up.  It's like I've been holding my breath for a very long time and now I'm sucking in air like I've been oxygen deprived for ages.

Okay, so I'm sitting here wondering why I'm relaxing on the sofa and watching a movie without feeling the pressure to do anything else.  I finally feel like I can exhale.  One asks themselves when does the proverbial dark cloud get lifted from one's personal atmosphere?  Well, there's no set time and there's no set date for this to happen.  All I know is that when it happens, you feel a sudden burst of relief unlike anything you remember happening before.  That's the space I occupy right now.  I am just breathing taking this all in...too afraid to admit that I'm happy, too scared to forget that it cold be taken away in the blink of an eye...even at my own hands.  Guess I shall wade in the still waters of my life right now and enjoy every minute of this wonderful place.