thinking positive thoughts

It's been more than a month, but I never claimed to be a steady blogger. I hope things are going smoothly for you as school starts, summer ends, and the weather (finally!) cools off a bit. This is my favorite time of year. Having fall as a favorite season labels me as "melancholy" according to something in humanities class ten(!) years ago. It's likely true. I do see some sadness in fall. Leaves are dying, wildlife is preparing for a long winter sleep, and the weather is often grim, at best. However, I see it differently. Fall is overflowing with fabulous colors, the weather isn't abusively hot anymore, a several-months'-long nap sounds like a lovely thing to me (lucky bears and other creatures), and I personally find a cool autumn mist soothing rather than dreary. Melancholy or not, this is still my favorite season.
I'm also currently involved in a Bible study with a small group of women at church. We're reading (not just our Bibles) Joyce Meter's "Battlefield of the Mind." We're eleven chapters in, and wow! This has been such an awakening experience for me. I've always been something of a skeptic and a bit of a pessimist. Starting this blog was one effort at making myself think clearly and without negativity. Now I'm all wrapped up in this book, and I'm seeing through Joyce's words and God's that positive thought is more powerful than I came close to guessing. In case you were wondering, I recommend the book. How could I have known when I started this random and sporadic blog that I was laying groundwork for this Bible study? I couldn't have, and that makes it even sweeter to me. It is one more evidence that I am being gently guided by a loving God.
I'm going to wrap this up. I have a lot going on in my head that I could share, and more still that I couldn't. I did promise short entries, though. So my suggestion for you, today, is this: Take ten minutes to watch the leaves tumble to the ground. As you drive to work or the store or wherever, keep an eye out for the random, amazing tree that is already turned. You might find living gold, or a tree so red it looks like it is on fire. Breathe deep and enjoy that particular fall flavor in the air. Enjoy the earth changing. Have a blessed day.