Autumn Blues

It’s a bit chilly outside but the sun is shining and there are birds singing in the neighbor’s trees beside my back fence. It’s a lovely Fall day, but I feel ‘homesick’ – blue – yearning to leave it all behind and head for someplace where the autumn colors most certainly are glistening in the sun. I want to go back to the lake we loved when our children were young – where we camped with them each summer – and where my sweetheart and I spent a few days of vacation last month. How did I get the ‘blues’ ? When did I begin to feel ‘homesick’ for the lake? I think it started when I chose this photo for my blog yesterday. It stole my heart and made me long to sit beside the shores of the lake and slowly take in the beauty there.

A blog friend asked if this is my house. Oh, I wish I could say yes! I wish I could just open the door and watch the Master Artist paint His colors nearby. But I must be honest – it’s just a ‘borrowed’ picture. Not even a place I’ve been before. After my friend asked if this is my home I began to think of the lake – the lake where I've always longed to return in October. Since we first discovered the lake many years ago my heart has dreamed of sitting on the shore to bask in the beauty and delight in the peaceful quietness all around me. The last morning we were there a month ago I caught a glimpse of the beginning. Autumn was just beginning to display her colors! And it was enough to remind me what I already knew. I MUST return again. In October. When autumn leaves start to fall!

(Tomorrow I will show you the lake – and the beauty we enjoyed in September. We had not been there for many years – not since the children were young. It had not changed much. I think you will understand why I love this place just off the beaten path – a place that is filled with memories and is dear to my heart.)

Autumn Glow

Lord, if You will make
The autumn of my life
As lovely as this
Golden autumn morning
I will not look back to grieve
The passing days of summer.
Of all the regal seasons
Autumn is most brilliant.
Make my life brilliant, too!

But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:14-15

from the writings of Ruth Harms Calkin

October Thoughts

On this quiet Saturday afternoon in October, I stopped what I was doing to sit and enjoy the sunshine and take a moment or two to rest before going on to the next thing on my list. And I began to think and ponder. . .

* Something nibbled away little pieces of the Indian corn I carefully stored away at the end of the season last year! Perhaps it was the little gray mouse my dear Miss Savannah lovingly laid at the garage door just outside my laundry room. I need to replace the ears of corn but I wonder. . .there must be a better way to store delectable tidbits that delight little critters who find their way inside!

* I planned to only use off-white, vanilla-scented candles around the house because they go with everything all year long, but I’m enjoying the deep rusty red-orange shades of a few candles scattered here and there. A gentle scent of pumpkin spice drifts through the room – and I’m so glad there are no calories in the fragrance of candles!

* When I opened the box of autumn decorations this year I realized I didn’t want to use most of them. My heart kept longing for simplicity and softer, mellow hues with just a touch of color here and there. I need to simplify and only keep what I love and will use again. Reminder to self: Don’t buy it just because it’s pretty – or cute – or someone else thinks it would be nice in my home. Follow your heart. You can’t go wrong!

* I want our home to reflect who we are all year long andI love to add a few special things for each season. Our home should be a haven – a safe place to land, a place of peace and joy and love - first for us, then for our family and our friends.

* It’s very hard to write a blog post when Miss Savannah is determined to settle down for an afternoon nap on my laptop! She’s warm and furry – and purring. I think she’s finally accepted the fact that there isn’t much room left on my lap but I can share a small part with her!

* Time to get busy – there’s always something waiting to be done. Outside I can hear my sweetheart working to ready his little boat for the winter. Sounds of a nearby lawnmower remind me that the grass is still green and flowers are still growing and there is a little more time before the world outside my window goes to sleep for the winter!

* Thoughts turn to my family and I wonder what they are doing. I think of what they mean to me and breathe a prayer for each one by name. ‘Thank you, Lord, that You have blessed me so abundantly. I am grateful for your love and grace, those dear to my heart who love me and the friends I treasure. What more do I need?’

Gratitude and Early Signs Of Fall

Thank you for your sweet comments and emails of support and encouragement. Don't worry - I will keep blogging! And I will continue to share my life as I choose to share it with you. You are the best! I definitely will keep blogging. No chance I’m going to stop now – I have too much to share!

Signs of Fall are slowly making an appearance in my home! Many of you decorated for Fall a few weeks ago but preparations and travel to the retreat in California and family and chaplain responsibilities made me wait a bit longer than usual to begin.

Every October I bring out the candles that were put away earlier in the year – and I get out warm afghans and throws to help warm a chilly day. Then I return the fireplace tool set to its spot on the hearth, add a basket of pinecones gathered in my dear mother-in-law and father-in-law’s yard many years ago and a brass wood basket with firewood made ready for warming chilly moments.

A day or two ago I finally brought out my Fall decorations and things started to change around here. I've added a few new things this year and it wasn’t long before I knew I wanted do something different. There’s no way to tell you how many times I have carefully arranged things, then stepped back to look it all over only to realize it wasn’t what I wanted. Because I really wanted to use the things I already had I tried to talk myself into ignoring the new ideas that kept popping into my mind. Finally, after a few things were in place I knew I had to follow my heart and make the changes I wanted – changes that seemed to be just right! It’s coming together little by little – and I’m liking it.

Hard decisions were made and I went back to some of my original thoughts – and I couldn’t be happier! Here’s what I did beside my favorite chair. I’ve changed parts of it several times and I like the way it looks. Remember my new, little coaster that I showed you here? It’s right beside my chair where I can enjoy it every day. These little treasures are on top of my grandmother’s sewing stand. It always stood near a comfy chair in her living room and I grew up wondering what she kept in the little drawers and ‘cubbies’. I was thrilled whenever she asked me to find something inside. Recently my mother gave me this little piece of my history – it needs some work done so you will have to wait to see more. I gathered some special things to display – just bits and pieces of things I enjoy.

I love candlelight! It took me awhile to find just the right thing for the candle in this spot. Some of my things were too large; others were too small. Some were just not right at all. This year I am using more of my yellow glass and pottery collections and working in bits and pieces of Fall decorations. I don’t know how many candleholders and combinations of candles and pretty things I tried before I decided to use a cute, little yellow glass vase on a small yellow candle coaster. I added a small candleholder inside so I could see the candlelight from my chair. I wanted the candle and flame to be enclosed for safety and I didn’t want the candle to melt all over the inside of my vase! So, this is what I put together.

This sweet, little autumn bird sits beside my candle. I found him at a garage sale a couple of years ago. Isn’t he cute?

I added two old books, chosen for the colors of the season and put a little yellow glass acorn on top. I decided not to put anything inside the acorn so the light from my big window would shine through and reflect off of it.

I’ve enjoyed watching the autumn sun reflect off the yellow glass pieces – and I find myself smiling as the ever-changing shadows dance across the room.

Yes, the signs of Fall have begun to appear. You can be sure there will be more – simple things are being changed and you’ll be among the first to know. I promise.

Sunshine Everyday

"God's presence is the sunshine of the heart."
Charles Spurgeon

Heart Thoughts

Dear Friends -

My heart is sad that there are those who choose to pour out their agendas on those of us who enjoy the world of blog and who share openly from the deep recesses of our lives with honest and pure motives. I have received nasty comments from people who chose to express hatred and their total disgust with me for sharing and posting the story and pictures of my family’s hunting experience. I am sorry if I offended anyone – it was not my intention. I will not stoop to their level of communication with a response nor will I apologize for sharing my pride in the men of my family who, in honor and respect, help meet the needs of their families and share with those who otherwise would not have enough to eat. While I do not share the viewpoints expressed, I do respect the fact that there are those – including some of my friends – who do not agree with nor share my appreciation for the subject.

I have chosen to remove the post and photos rather than subject myself to further negative and hateful communication . I’m sorry that we cannot just be ourselves and share our joys and the things that touch our hearts deeply without misunderstanding and attack. I do appreciate the comments from you, my friends, who do not agree with me nor see this subject as I do yet chose to appreciate what I shared from my heart. It means much that you understood yet expressed your personal point of view with grace and love. That is as it should be!

I have disabled anonymous comments in an effort to avoid further bitter and hurtful communication with me. I am sorry that, because of the hatred of a few, some of my family and friends will no longer have the opportunity to add their comments to my blog posts. To you friends and family – you know how to contact me. I value your thoughts and your comments. And I have once again enabled word verification as an extra measure of protection.

I have learned a lesson that some of you have already learned. I know now what, perhaps, I already knew – the world we live in is not what it used to be. It is not a world of respect for the thoughts of others unless they agree with the thoughts of the reader. There are those who take great pride in their aggressive and hateful words when saying what they think. Some preach the need for tolerance no matter what yet they often are the very ones who are intolerant with some who believe in different principles than their own.

When I started my blog I had a ‘vision’ and a goal – the post I shared yesterday met that goal with honor. I will not hang my head in shame – nor will I apologize for sharing my heart with pride. In an effort to remain true to myself this experience has reminded me that I cannot trust everyone who may read my blog to be kind and gentle. Perhaps the time will come that I decide to make my blog private and by invitation only. Some of my dear blog friends have been forced to do that – I hope I will not have to make that decision. So – my friends (those of you who truly are my friends) – with deep sadness I have removed the post I shared with pride, the words from my heart that expressed my joy in the way a young man chose to touch his grandma’s heart one fall day in Oregon. The post is gone – the words have been erased from this place. But not from my heart. Never from my heart!

Friends Of The Heart

Recipe For Friendship

Ingredients:
1 Pint of Trust
1 Dash of Caring
2 Cups of Understanding
2 Spoonfuls of Shared Secrets
1 Cup of Mutual Affection
1 Sprinkle of Respect
2 Pounds of Common Interest
3 Spoonfuls of Listening
and 1 Bag of Fun!!

In my last post I promised to share more with you about my day with a blog friend I had known in the distant past. My plan was to share pictures and details of our time together – I planned to do that yesterday but yesterday quickly filled with things that couldn’t wait! Sunday evening I carefully laid out all the things I needed to take with me when I left the house early on Monday morning - my camera bag, my purse (I changed purses 3 times!), my day timer, bottled water and protein bars and some things I needed to take to my early morning chaplain meeting. It was all together – on the piano bench. I was ready! Yes, I was! Very early Monday morning I headed out the door to join commuter traffic and make my way to my meeting. The meeting was wonderful – it was our first time together since late last spring. There was much to share.

When I left the meeting place I didn’t drive far before hugs were exchanged and chatter began with my blog friend, Elizabeth, of Just Following Jesus In My Real Life. . . Several months ago I had ‘stumbled’ across her blog and I’ve been a faithful reader and commenter ever since. What Elizabeth shares from her heart always touches my life. I am always inspired to deepen my faith, hug my kids and grandkids a little more and try new things in my home. As I read more and more of Elizabeth’s blog I began to sense that I knew her from somewhere in the past. The photo of her and her dear hubby seemed to ‘ring a bell’ in my memory and so many experiences had a familiar ‘feel’. Finally I couldn’t wait to know more and with the exchange of a few emails we realized what I had suspected. We knew each other many years ago. For a short time. A few brief encounters and then our lives went separate ways.

Monday morning when we stepped out of our cars at our appointed meeting place we were suddenly arm-in-arm, heart-to-heart. As if we had known each other forever. Kindred spirits. We headed to a favorite place we both love - Camas Antiques in Camas, Washington was our destination for the day. You can read their blog here. Unfortunately in my rush to get out of the house early that morning – with my arms piled high with things to take with me – I left my camera behind! Oh no – what to do? No problem – Elizabeth had her camera along and she promised to share photos of our day together. We had a fantastic time together. We gathered treasures (actually I gathered more than she did!), talked many miles a minute, laughed and shared, admired things and loved being together. To be honest, I’m afraid she and I could be dangerous together – dangerous to our pocketbooks. But what fun we had! You can read a bit about our adventures and see some of Elizabeth’s photos on her blog here. (I’d love to make a disclaimer about the photos of me without my glasses but I won’t. No, I didn’t forget them!) We found a cute, little place to share lunch we enjoyed more time to talk and share our lives. And plan future excursions together.

I love the way God works in our lives and the way He cares about things of our hearts - and our friendships. This wonderful world of blog has opened up opportunities I never believed possible. My dear ‘new’ friend and I have much in common. Sisters in faith – adventures in common. And we know God brought us back together again – for a purpose. We are blessed – and having fun together!

Gems may be precious, but friends are priceless.
~unknown~