Shortness of a Season: Autumn

Fall colors are practically indescribable. The deep reds, bright oranges, and golden yellows and so marvelous to look at. Last year, there was a gorgeous tree that was full of colored leaves. Then, one day, as it happens in Western Kansas, the wind blew. This was such a windy time that the beautiful tree was now just left to a few leaves and branches.

My wife and I were disappointed as we love to look at the fall colors. Like most things, they are here one day and gone the next, which brings us to this week's quote...

Autumn is really the best of the seasons; and I'm not sure that old age isn't the best part of life. But of course, like autumn, it doesn't last. ~ C.S. Lewis, "Letters of C. S. Lewis [1966] "27 October 1963""

What do you think of fall/autumn? Is it an enjoyable time for you?

Life, especially as I get older, reminds me that it is short. I want to treasure the minutes I have with my kids. Not only is our time limited, but their time as "little ones" also goes quickly.

May we appreciate life and the moments in life. The moments add up through life to give us our span. I am not the only one who has taken things for granted, but may little reminders like this help me to appreciate the moments in my life more.

Now it's your turn, What is something you wish you could have a "do over" in your life?

Rising With the Wind

Recently my 8-year old niece has been around.  She’s visited frequently because of all the activity with my wife being pregnant.  The other day, she was playing with my 2-year old son using an empty infant swimming pool as her toy. My son had one side, she had the other, and she would pull it around waving it up and down singing “Let’s go fly a kite…” A song I sang when I was about her age.  My son would soon say “I love this song” as he laughed with the activity.

Kites are fun, which brings us to this week’s quote…

A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.  ~ John Neal

If you’ve every tried to fly a kite on a day when it was too calm, it is really frustrating.  You may run a little way tot ry to make it rise; it does for a brief moment, then descends.  Ugh!  That is similar to finally getting the “perfect” opportunity to do something.

When conditions seem perfect, they may not actually be.  The time to start may be now, in the midst of having some opposition.

Don’t look for “calm” times to do something, use the wind to your advantage, allowing you to “rise”!