Messages of Love Shower All Around Us....Just Keep Looking Up!

Did you know that autumn leaves sound like raindrops when they’re falling from trees?  Today I discovered this, and it made my heart sing.  I decided to take the time to appreciate the shades of color in our fiery-red Maple tree and to soak in the scent of wood smoke and wet earth and leaves.  I walked through a scattering of crisp, yellow leaves and felt the child in me leap up with joy as I kicked my feet through the little mound.  I remembered raking birch leaves into a large pile in my gramma and grappa’s yard and diving in.  Grappa would give me and my neighbor friend a few dollars to walk up to the Circle K after our “work” was finished so we could buy candy. 

This world is a crazy place.  I can hardly look at news headlines these days without regretting it.  But today I was reminded that there is far more beauty than all that negativity.  It just depends on how we direct our eyes and our hearts.  I am making conscious choices to direct my attention to the things that remind me of the vast amounts of good in the world.  And there is an awful lot of good in the world. 

Here’s what my eyes and heart took in today:  A mama deer with her two babies standing in a grove of trees.  A husband who loves me and showers me with affection and affirmation.  Fog settling over the lake where dozens of ducks were quietly floating.  My cat Boy’s face peering into mine when I woke up this morning.  A forested mountainside dotted with all the yellows and reds of fall.  A former student walking hand-in-hand with her boyfriend down a sidewalk.  Our orange cat Tippy happily tucked into his kitty bed on the porch, enjoying the afternoon in a patch of sun.  The sound of a chipmunk bickering from a pine branch.  An email from a dear friend.  A spontaneous hug from my hubby right in the middle of the Safeway meat department.  The prospect of spending time with family tomorrow at Greenbluff and looking for the perfect pumpkins to carve.  A heron perched on top of our neighbor’s dock piling, ensconced in morning fog.  A chili feed, pumpkin carving fandango with friends tomorrow night.  Really good dark chocolate.  Memories of my mom’s and my trip to Israel.  The smell of laundry drying with a sheet of fabric softener.  Leftover chicken fried steak and potatoes for dinner.  Trying to recite Psalm 23 from memory.  My husband brushing our 16 year old cat, Boy, with his favorite boar-bristle brush.  A warm bed, soft pillow, and a weekend ahead.

Listen, friends:  There is a lot of negativity out there in the world.  There are people who will try to put you down, look down on you, or blame you for their own mistakes.  There are unpleasant headlines, unfriendly Facebook posts, and more worries than we can shake a stick at.  All this pessimism can paralyze you.  It can fool you into thinking that there’s no hope and little joy.  But here’s the thing:  God is bigger than all that.  His love is bigger and it’s all around us.  He speaks His love to us through the people we love, the Bible passages that we read, and through the sound of leaves falling from trees. 

Keep your eyes on these good things.  Let these messages of love fill your soul and energize you for each day you’ve been given.  Life is too short to miss all the gifts God is giving you right now.