Autumn Preparations

Our backyard is covered with locust leaves, while our Maple and a few other neighborhood trees hold on tightly to their beauty.  Gold, orange, green, and brown.....my favorite colors of Autumn.

Our favorite neighborhood tree

The squirrels scurry through the crisp leaves blanketing the ground, looking for tidbits to bury as they prepare for what is coming.  Winter.  A few days ago our trees were filled with robins gathering for their journey South.  We are seeing a lot more geese, too.  Eating in our association field, filling our skies with their beauty, and the sounds.....oh my.  We had to chuckle as one with a cold flew over us. He had to have had a cold, because he sounded all plugged up and throaty!  The only thing missing was the cough.

Nature is in preparation.  And so, I have observed, is our neighborhood..  In between raking yards, trees are being trimmed, windows cleaned, and snowblowers and furnaces are getting a readiness check-up.  One neighbor is quickly building a 3 season and just had the house painted.  Rakes are out, gardens winterized, and eves cleaned.  Soon Joel will fix our neighbor's basement window covers, he has already started the endless process of bagging leaves in our front yard. It is mid October so there is still time to get ready, but being prepared is a good idea. Snow can surprise us in October too.

It is always good to be prepared for the winter seasons.  In nature and in life. I have been re-reading Rick Renner's book, "Dressed to Kill", which speaks of putting on the full armor of God in preparation for what comes our way.  Those winter seasons that can take so much out of us.  Just how do we prepare?  In so many ways!!  Besides the armor the Word speaks of in Ephesians, Sunday worship services, Bible Study and reading, connections with fellow church members, devotions, and devoted prayer times are ways we prepare for any winter seasons that come our way.  And remembering.....remembering that God is always with us.  We do not walk through life alone.

I am not looking forward to winter, but we will be prepared for whenever it comes.  I don't look forward to those winter seasons that come into our lives either, but we do what we can to prepare and we trust God with the rest.  We trust God and we remember "Lo, I am with you always...."

And speaking of the earth, we continue to take in Autumn and all it's vibrant colors while getting ready for winter white.  Such beauty to feast our eyes on, including the porch pumpkins.  We took in so much of Autumn while driving last week to various parts of Minnesota.  God certainly uses His artist brush lavishly in the Fall.  And for that we are grateful.