This morning as I look out the window from my second story office, my little kingdom below is glistening from the new snow. Surely there must be fairy dust sprinkled across the frosted landscape this beautiful morning. No photo could capture the beauty within my view. The outside thermometer that I see through my window tells me it is 7° F out there. Brrrr... yet still I can hear the chirping of birds greeting the new day. They are happy to see the sun peaking over the mountain and hopeful the sun's rays will warm their tiny bodies.
The morning shadows from the branches of my honey locust tree are long and lean, reaching across the snow to my home where I sit warm and comfortable. Surely, winter is upon us.
♥ ♥ ♥
But today on this last day of November
I choose to pause and look back,
and reflect on our glorious Autumn of the season now past.
It has been said that ours was the perfect Autumn.
The leaves gave a spectacular performance.
The temperatures were just right
for hikes in our glorious mountains.
Connecting with Nature is always sweet tonic for the soul.
The colors of the Quick Fire Hydrangea
became soft and enchanting.
The Purple Fountain grass swayed in the breeze.
The Virginia Creeper on my back neighbor's fence
unmasked it's vibrant colors.
The Flame Maples began their journey from green
to yellow
to orange...
to red.
We discovered that not only leaves turn red in our gardens.
And after waiting all summer long,
the Chrysanthemums finally came into bloom.
Yes, this was a perfect Autumn.
Now all that remain are sweet memories...
and a pressed leaf from my tree
reminding me that ...
Life filled with love is always beautiful.
♥ ♥ ♥
During the course of my lifetime,
I have learned that perhaps life's greatest joys
are found as we take time to pause and look back,
reflecting on the journey we've traveled.
Even if it is just for a moment,
it is in the looking back that we often see
life's greatest blessings.
May you take the time to look back...
and reflect on the joy
that was always there.
