OCTOBER OVATIONS

This was a place on the side of the road where farmers plop their
fall produce.  I love the jumble of fall color

It's that time of year that we hear tractors chugging away as soon as the dew has dried.

Acres of corn swept into machines that keep what is good and leave the rest for the birds.
Tall stalks no longer reign as fields empty.

Fall is here.
Yet, I'm not ready for the whirl of activities that will consume us for the next six months.
Sometimes I ask the Lord to slow down time as each minute steadily ticks the day away.

#4175-4177:: Minutes turn to hours and suddenly it's time to leave for meetings.  A swirl of items on my list blows by like the wind and rain pressing against our windows.  Another week, another meeting, another group of tasks in front of me.  With all the swirl of each day I set a measured pace, breathe deep, linger with the Lord throughout the day and praise God for His wisdom and

I so love St. Francis
It's nice that Pope Francis took his
name from this godly wanderer.

discernment in the midst of so many decisions.

#4178-4180:: St. Francis, from riches to rags, from dreams of nobility to humbling himself as a servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
A complete 180 in his life leads him to build the church until he understands that it is not brick and mortar that builds the church.
 It's sharing the gospel, one person at a time, that makes the real building blocks of Christianity.
He died October 4, 1225 at the age of 45.
The rule of St. Francis was the foundation for Franciscan Monasteries throughout the world.

#4181-4183:: Words on paper.  So stiff.
What does my heart say?  Perhaps a picture in my mind will help words flow from my soul.
St. Francis' vow of poverty, chastity and caring for the poor brought true riches to those in need.
May the Lord help us all to see the riches of the Gospel that far exceed any sense of physical poverty.

We drive by this icon of the area weekly.
The sky is menacing but the fall colors POP!

#4184-4186:: Cool, fresh, early rise through dark skies.  Haze melts, sun warms our worship space and the glory of a fall day pierces through the soggy fields.  The words filled souls and were well received.  Pets blessed, children happy, a day of celebration that St. Francis began.  Love the children as we love our pets and share the grace of the Gospel and the world would be filled with peace.  A busy day with many meetings, new direction, new options for the future.

#4187-4189:: Up early with hubby to join him as we drive about to complete many scheduled appointments.  Throw a wonderful lunch and gorgeous weather into the mix and we feel we have had an adventurous day.  Who knew the tiny half-moon that neither of us could see on my new phone meant 'do not disturb.'  Oh to have my simple flip-phone that fizzled as it drowned in water.  Onward to new horizons and a new learning curve with technology.  Love it!  Keeps me on my toes.  A few hours in the garden and . . . voila!  Gorgeous blooms still fill my soul.

This city girl goes crazy over sheep.  We watched them
being sheered on a day that was not all that warm.
But they are ready to 'show' and win a ribbon!

#4190-4192:: Early up to move six bags of garden 'stuff' to the curb.  Vinegar all drains (my monthly ritual) get some work done while working on laundry and we are ready to go by noon . . . sort of.   Our little township fair with cows and sheep and rabbits and chickens and all that fills my heart with this annual farm experience.  We city dudes find this to be as close as we get to farm animals.  The expanse of fields behind us make us believe we live on a farm . . .  when we see the tractors hauling in fall produce.  Love this time of year.  We are SO BLESSED!

#4193-4195:: Gray turns to bright and breezy.  Another day that the Lord has made and I will be glad and rejoice.  Papers, printing, piles, preparation for meetings and celebrations and all things wonderful.  Tonight I meet with my women friends of PEO.  It's a time to breath fresh air into my daily routine.  Nice.

I love our little farm store.  They carefully place
these vegetables (yes, they really eat them) so
very carefully to entice us to enjoy the fall colors.

#4196-4198:: My body is tight with knots after one hour on 'chat' with my email carrier.  I'm calm, persevering forward, but my body says
S T O P !   B R E A T H E !  WAIT !
"Be still and know that I am God," says my soul.  I take a walk in the fresh air.
 I breathe in crisp Fall air.
 I pray for others and seek wisdom from my Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I become 'one' with God for a minutia of a second.   I continue to breathe as I prepare for a huge meeting tonight.  God is with me.
 I sing a song of THANKSGIVING deep down in my soul.

#4199-4201::  I choke on words that seem to stutter out of my mouth.  Two sentences and I'm done.

Dad is loving all the attention from these little ones.
He never stops.  Retirement is not in his genes.

 Really done.  I say I will retire.  Silence.   One brave soul says, "We're going to miss you."  I feel better.  The void in my heart fills with peace.  Hard words for me to say but perhaps easy for others to receive?  Today I receive sweet words of affirmation. Nice.

#4202-4204:: We need the rain but WOW!  It drenched our little yard last night.  Crisp and clear today as I finish words for tomorrow, write letters, attend a morning meeting and prepare for a hospital visit to encourage an elderly soul who came through surgery just fine.  God is good, life is good, we are good.  Hooray!

#4205-4207:: A gorgeous Fall day with leaves beginning to turn.  Many surprises at church but was able to share my impending retirement with the entire congregation once they find a replacement or in six months, whichever comes first.  Some sad faces but assuring hugs were good medicine.  I felt loved by many but the words are so final.  I'm on my way to a new cycle in our life.  Hubby is 'over the moon' at my decision.  Now he can have me all to himself, which he rightly deserves.  LOL = Lighten Our Load.
I bet you thought I'd translate it the 'regular' way.

Fall is here: Cool mornings and warm Sunday afternoons
bring changes for head coverings.   Summer wear is
 organdy cap  for women and straw hat for men.
Now they turn to their black hats and coverings.

#4208-4210:: Dark fills the room but the clock says, "not that early."  It 'dawns' on me that the days are getting shorter.  Dense fog finally burns off in a few hours as I wait for the bishop to call me back.  Now begins the business end of retirement.  And so the story goes.
 I think I'll finish my tea and do some scripture study to ease my whirling soul.
As I wait for the bishop, a phone call with an offer to help out with an 'open' task at church is nice to hear.
People are pitching in to cover all the bases as we look for an Admin. person.

#4211-4213:  Today I say my favorite verse, "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your path straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6
 I have no idea about the procedure so I must trust the surgeon.  We pray that the Great Surgeon, God, will make the procedure simple and easy.  AMAZING!  Why am I always amazed?

 The prep took more time than the surgical procedure.  Piece of cake.  Results were GOOD!
 We eliminate one more challenge.
 Everyone was so very nice and I was in and out in a blink of an eye.
 TRUST is my word of the day.
You'd think I'd learn one of these days. Selah!

#4213-4216:: Ups-n-downs.  Remember the movie "Mame" . . . the old version.  Make purposely bought land next to her future in-laws' little shangrila called Ups-n-downs.  This was meant to show these uppity people a little piece of reality.  Hubby and I have been hit with a bit of reality with our tiny home we inherited then flooded last year. . . . destroying everything in it.  So we had to gut it out completely and start over.  This 'new' home is now being tested by a new AC that pops every fuse in the place?  Ups-n-downs.  We breathe deep, send more shekels to those fixing the problem and pray this is the last of our challenges in our little 'Shangri-La.'  Soon we will retire and make it our home . . .  if it is still standing.

Small towns, roadside stands, and homes are creating Fall Fest
scenes for those of us who simply pass through.
Fall is the very best season up here.

#4217-4219:: In between the chaos of phone calls and decisions yesterday, I decided to read a sweet book written by Susan Branch called, A Fairy Tale Girl.  I forgot about work.  I forgot about our unstable Shangri-La, I forgot about everything as I read a story about an era in which I was also a part.  It was a time when we were raised to be wives and moms.  We had no idea that we could BE anything.  It's a story about a late bloomer, just like me.  Only she got married when I was at a job that took me all over the world.  Same story, though.  Life is a fairy tale until our bubbles burst.  We hit reality, look through the glass clearly and take a new path.  My path was to follow Christ Jesus as Lord.  Doors opened wide and I walked through.  It does not mean that life has been perfect (like I explained yesterday) but I have ONE who walks with me every step of the way.  I feel loved.  When I think I am drowning in the muck and mire of daily challenges, I know I will always be held up by my Lord.  NICE.

Although tobacco season is over and barn boards are back in place,
I love to remember that short period of time when Amish
dry tobacco in the fields or in their barns.

10.16.15:: My blog notes are changing.  I no longer reflect on three 'eucharisteos' each day but I do reflect on my daily journey with a positive outlook.
I have far more than THREE thanksgivings each day.
Each minute I breathe is a blessing.  Each hour of the day I pray I honor the Lord, my God.
Each day of the week I try to reflect on some way I've grown.
Perhaps someone in this grand world might actually read my notes and, beyond my wildest imagination, that persons might connect with these reflections to affirm their journey.

Leaves are just beginning to turn.
Rich colors on Maple trees are the BEST!

10.17.15:: Yesterday was a wonderful surprise.  We drove through the countryside filled with fields empty of corn, or with bales of 'whatever' scattered about, with trees beginning to turn golden and orange and bright red.
 Fall up here is a wonder.
 Our destination was the home of a couple we had just met through our church activities.
 We thought we'd enjoy a quick lunch and mosey home but five hours later, as sun was beginning to move below the horizon, we thought it best to part company.
 So much shared yet we could have spent more hours together.  Food for body and soul filled us to overflowing.  Now to digest the memories slowly . . .  until the next time we meet.

So hard to do sometimes
yet, so absolutely necessary
in a world where only a few
self seekers can destroy nations.

10.18.15:: Moody skies bring filtered light into focus upon arrival at church.  COLD turns to a nice crisp day as we celebrate "serving the Lord with gladness, caring for each other and then to another." A dear couple tried, again, to make it to church but to no avail so I made sure I made a home visit.  I cannot state enough how important it is to plan ahead when our bodies degenerate to a point that caregivers are needed throughout the day.  "Plan ahead", I tell them.  If you cannot walk into a senior facility on your own, you will not be admitted.  With that in mind, skilled nursing is prohibitive in cost over a long period of time.  Plan now, while we are still able to maintain options in our lives.

10.19.15:: S L O W goes my body as I lift weights, think about meetings, prep work and plans for the season of Advent, so very close.  Green leaves turn brown or bright orange and yellow against the backdrop of moody, deep gray skies.  Sun pierces through a cloud to illuminate a cluster of maples.  WOW. . .  POP. . . my senses overflow with gratitude.

This is the other side of the scene we see from our house.
It's fun to stop on the little road behind this farm to view it's endless beauty.

10.20.15::  We decided to proclaim this a day of prayer.  We prayed for friends, relatives, those in need, our government and so much more.  Then we took the very long drive to church and prayed over every edifice, every pew, every corner of the church that God would reign.  We used the prayer from Christian Healing Ministries which begins,  "In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of His cross and His blood, we bind up any evil spirits and command them not to block our prayers."  Two hours of prayer in the church was only the beginning. Our healing service on Sunday, I pray, will bring forth the full power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God's faith-filled people.  AMEN!

10.21.15::  Bright, calm, cool weather draws us out of the house to take care of all those little things one does before winter sets in.  My hope for 'indian summer warmth' is slowly fading as I put a thicker quilt on the bed, dress in one more layer and bring in more outside furnishings.  Nights are chilly but days are still balmy (in the afternoons).  Time to take pictures of the gorgeous changes in color and beauty of dying foliage.

After the frost

10.22.15:: Hydrangeas are HUGE but frost fried their color to shades of beige.  I so wish I could bring them inside but I already have so many.  Beauty may fade but it does not lose its lustrous wonder.  Clip, clip here, snip, snip there, here a clip there a snip and . . . the garden is receding to its winter state.

Full summer blooms

 10.23.15:: Are we all blind? Mark 10:46-52 shows us how much the blind many 'sees' before Jesus restores his sight.  He 'saw' in his soul the healing power of One he had never met.  Do we walk into our churches needing our sight restored?  Sometimes I wonder.  We walked around our church this week and anointed each corner as we prayed (we did this outside and inside).  For the first time I saw pealing paint and steps in need of repair.  It's not that I saw disrepair but I saw in my heart that people no longer saw their precious church needed help.  It's a heart thing.  "Someone else will fix this."  I don't have to care.
Blind hearts are far more difficult to heal than vision.  I've been blind but now I see.

My favorite tree is just outside an industrial mall.
POPS of beauty balance out slabs of concrete.

10.24.15::  Our friend is dying.  Hit by a car.  He is 98 and was doing so well.  We assumed he would live forever since he seemed gifted with longevity.  His sage advise and deep faith in God has been a pillar to us.  As each wise one goes to the Lord before us, we realize we are that much closer to our time of eternal JOY with Christ Jesus.  May we 'practice' what the Holy Spirit shows us as we lead others through their personal 'earthly' journey in preparation for eternal glory.

This old church remains standing with
ancient windows that let in rays of
sun though colored glass.
That's what Bud's life has been to us.
He is our 'ancient' window who invites us
in to his world of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

10.25.15:: We felt it in the air as the raindrops popped onto our windshield at O-dark-hundred this morning.  The light is being shut out by more darkness yet the Light of Christ pierces these chilly mornings as we pray and sing songs on the way to church.  Skies brighten and  cold becomes comfortably cool by the time we leave church.  Bartimaeus was blind, yet he had 'vision.'  Do we in the church pews have vision?  Can we see that which is right before our eyes, that Christ has called us to do to bring others into the kingdom of God?  We sit with our dying friend, so very alert at 98 and sharp as a tack as he remembers street
names from his wanderings 60 years ago.  Our hearts are so sad but his 'vision' is to be with the Lord at last.  His faith is immense.  Ours needs to grow.

10.26.15:: Spinning mind, long lists, endless emails.
Mondays make me dizzy.  So glad I spent early-time preparing body and soul for a very hectic day.

10.27.15:: Tap, tap, click, click go the keys on my computer.  I make sure I get up every hour to work on something else so I remain viable throughout the day.  So much to do and so little time.  I look ahead to the end of December as I make sure the next couple months run smoothly while hubby and I take a break for a few weeks. S T R E S S is balanced by time to B R E A T H E.  God is with me as I focus on one detail at a time . . .  from finance . . . to announcements . . .  to vestry proposals.

10.28.15:: BREAK DAY!  I doodle, read periodicals, enjoy catalogs that are piling up in the corner and dive into a fluffy novel about a village priest who serves his people well.  Dare I find time to vege out and loosen my brain and 'waste' time? YES!  This is my retreat day in spite of the piles of work on my desk.  God is so good!
Thanks, Lord, for paralyzing my frenetic behavior for several hours so that I can drink in JOY!

10.29.15::  Ahhhhh, a new day!  My mind spins as I prep for the big meeting tonight, make lists of

chores to be completed today and anticipate another glorious day of Fall color.  Our ride to church is filled with magnificent vignettes of well-tended, empty, fields, colors that POP and fresh, crisp air that we breathe deep.  We are indeed HAPPY CAMPERS!  Huge patches of color flicks from branches and joins the piles of red, orange, rust and brown on the ground. God's GLORY is right in front of us for all to see. AMEN!

10.30.15:: Early up, full of energy, nice prayer time, ready to dive into study but hubby needs me to pack a lunch for his day away.  Love it!  My reward is a quiet day of concentration to write, reflect, breathe in the Fall chill and . . .  OK, so the rugs need vacuuming.  At least I can pace myself and sip an extra cup of tea.  Every day is a good day but this is like frosting on the cake.

10.31.15 All Hallows Eve, a time for Christians to pray away the pesky spirits that get in the way of our prayers for those loved ones who are now enjoying resurrected life.  Tomorrow we celebrate the Saints and saints who have impacted our lives.  The Saints are holy people whose lives were totally committed to helping generations to follow to understand what it means to be a Christian.  In the same way, the "saints" in our lives who influenced our walk in Christ are just as important.  Scripture, [the God's Word to guide our walk], tradition [embracing wisdom from Saints who have gone before us] and reason [taking time to digest, contemplate and follow what we have learned from Saints and saints] are the three pillars of our church.

May we end this month with the anticipation of new light [tonight we turn clocks back one hour] as the days grow darker.  May the Lord light our path as we seek a deeper knowledge of our salvation through faith in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.