The air has changed.
Summer’s warmth has given way to a slight chill as the breeze has gently blown us right into September.
It’s funny how every year I know the change is coming yet it always seems to arrive too soon. Living where “real” summer seems to only last about two and a half months before our few weeks of autumn quickly surrender to winter’s greedy grasp makes me rather melancholy as the season shifts. For many, the crisp fresh air is a refreshing relief from summer’s humid heat, but for me, is a harbinger of the cold, dark winter waiting just around the corner.
The weather shift is something I almost mourn every year. So as the dark creeps in earlier every evening, I linger long in every sun-filled moment– willing the light to seep into my innermost being where I can bask in its warm memories when the cold becomes fiercest.
One of my very favorite ways to soak up a summer evening is to take a slow family stroll down the gravel road near our home. The road winds through fields and swamp. A sweet scent of alfalfa mixed with the musky smell of boggy swampland lingers in the air. Our familiar views of cattails, trees, and field, never grow old as there is always something extra to observe. One day we spot the tall figures of sandhill cranes loitering in freshly cut hay, with their long legs, and gracefully curved necks striking a lovely pose. Serenaded with their unique chirring echoing across the countryside, we pause to tip heads far back as a pod of pelicans soar closely overhead. The sound of collective wings slicing through air leaves us with a sense of awe, the sound a soft accompaniment to the crane’s cacophony.
On another walk, we see a large skein of geese set their feet for landing–a process incredibly reminiscent of wheels folding down out of airplanes as they prepare to land. We laugh as wild turkeys run from us, their heads comically bobbing through the grasses nearby.
Beautiful moments imprinted in my mind.
Now, as I write, I’m on my front porch soaking up the sunshine and warmth before the weather cools even more, as predicted by gloomy forecast. I’ve paused long to watch a hummingbird sip sweet nectar from my ruby feeder and marvel at the speed of such tiny wings. A dragonfly is perched near my feet after momentarily landing on my toe (!), the sun glinting off its iridescent wings.
These moments are so simple–yet magical.
These are beautiful extraordinary gifts sprinkled through an otherwise ordinary day. These are the moments I might have missed if I wasn’t looking for them. For all the dazzling moments I am fully present in, I’m sure there are many more I have missed when my focus wanders.
My favorite season seems especially full of these magical moments, yet, each and every day is brimming with beauty just waiting to be noticed.
What season are you in, friend?
Are you experiencing warmth and light akin to a sparkling summer day? Or, are the chill winds rustling your leaves a bit too harshly? Or, maybe, circumstances are so bleak you feel stuck in a never-ending winter of grayish cold?
Whatever your season, may I encourage you to look for the extraordinary gifts nestled in your ordinary (or even dark) days?
It takes intentionality every day, but when life feels monotonous and mundane or when seasons of life, like winter, feel extra dark and cold, it may take more effort to notice the gifts–but I assure you, they are there.
How do I know they are there?
I know because I know the Giver of these gifts. I know the God who created all things and is with us in each and every season, both those we relish and those we’d rather not endure. He cares about the big picture and the details. I know that all our days are filled with moments that will always point us to The Light if only we will look.
These moments of beauty are a treasure trail leading us to the ultimate, spectacular, never-ending, extraordinary Creator of the universe. I think of them as little love letters with which God is drawing us to Himself, revealing His nature through moments of love for us to bask in and remind us His Light is always there, even when our world feels dark.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
~James 1:17
Treasure hunt with me? Tell me what extraordinary thing you have found in your day! Let me know in the comments.
