Fall Beauty

Today began like many of my Saturdays. I stretched my arms over my head after I woke up, relishing the comfort of my warm bed. After a chat with my sister, I moved into the living room and settled into a chair by the fireplace to read the newspaper. Then, I did what I inevitably do... I pulled out a batch of papers and began to grade.

A little while later, that girl of mine asked if I would go outside with her. Not really in the mood for a walk in the woods, I took her up on her offer anyway. We made our way over broken logs and pushed past some of the last bits of fall foliage, stopping every now and then to take pictures.

It didn't take me long at all to enjoy the moment. The sky enveloped us in a deep blue; trees towered over us casting dappled rays of sunlight across our path. We climbed up hills and remembered days long past when the woods were a wild playground for a little girl and her mom.

It was a beautiful fall day.... A beautiful moment with a beautiful girl.

Telephoto Tuesday

While many of you were enjoying the feeling of Autumn several weeks ago, the season of colorful leaves and crisp, cool weather was, as usual, slow to arrive in my home state. Yet, suddenly, there it was. Fall! The cool weather lured me outside and to the nearby river where I caught the light and its shadows dancing among the silvery ripples.

And I Had it All Along

As many of you already know, I'm always looking for perfection in life. And I must admit that I often look at others as symbolizing what is perfect. For instance, I have always thought that a friend of mine had the perfect home. It exuded warmth from before you even set foot in the front door. In the evenings, the warm glow of Pottery Barn lamps seeped through the windows. Family and friends always seemed to linger in the kitchen, where the sweet aroma of bread or biscotti filled the air. It just seemed like the perfect example of cozy warmth.


Now mind you, this friend was a stay-at-home mom. With her children in school all day, I could understand how her home could maintain this sense of warmth, while I toiled at work from sun-up to sun-set it seemed. An excuse, perhaps, for my home to be a little... well... messy and not so warm.

So this fall I decided that my home, too, would exude warmth. That my husband and daughter would immediately feel my love when they walked through the front door. I bought new fall flowers to create an artful display of welcome for the front door.




I bought some small pumpkins and gourds to warm up my kitchen.




Then came the revelation. One evening as I finished reading The Shack on my back deck, I paused and looked... really looked into my home. And I saw it. It wasn't the decorative gourds, nor the beautiful fall flowers that gave my home a sense of warmth. It was love. And it was there, right there, in my home. Without fancy props, without expensive trappings, my home did exude warmth. And I smiled.



At times, we may be so busy trying to live up to high standards we set for ourselves and our own image of perfection that we don't even realize that we've exceeded our own expectations. And it really doesn't have to cost a cent or take too much time to accomplish. We possess it all along in the form of hugs, encouragement, and kisses.