October

It is hard to find words majestic enough, beautiful enough to describe October.

October is wind chimes singing in the cool northwest wind. Clean linens wave in the breeze, storing the smell of October for days when we are needy. Under an incomparable blue sky, trees don their showiest apparel for a grand finale before they stand naked, limbs drooping with winter.

God has blessed us with a glorious harvest, and the pantry shelves and freezers are bursting with summer's bounty. We watch the squirrels in the backyard as they frantically gather hickory nuts, sensing a barren time ahead without any weather forecasts. We stack the stalks of spent okra and rake the detritus of tomatoes and squash as we plan next year's garden.

Sweatshirts and flannel pajamas have replaced shorts and tees, and we add quilts to the bed. We snuggle under them while the open windows invite breezes to cleanse the stale air-conditioned air that we have breathed all summer. The ten o'clock train whistle cries lonesome, so clear with the windows open.


It is special, living in a small part of this temporary planet so beautiful that it takes the breath away. Think about how loving our Father is. He knows our lives are so short, so limited, yet he designed this for us, just to make our stay here comfortable.



Our home in October.
Breathe it in.
I'm so very, very glad to be here.