From wishing for frost to giving thanks in all things!

 My head is so, so tired of the daily pollen alerts.  I really need to see some heavy frost on the ground so that I can stop coughing and start breathing easier!  In spite of the high pollen count, Ken and I went to the Morton Arboretum today so that he could take some photos.  I mostly sat in the car (which was better for my head), but I did get a few pictures.   It was not an ideal day.  It was overcast and somewhat cold and rainy.  However, around 3:00pm the sun broke through the clouds, so we decided to brave it for those pictures.  The sun didn't last very long, and we weren't the only ones who thought it might be a good idea to look at the color.  The place was more crowded than we have ever seen it!  As we drove through the park, we were in a line up of cars.  There were very few spots to park anywhere on the drive.  Ken finally found a couple of places to pull off so that he could get some shots.  I love this first picture - even though these are WEEDS!   I love how they look RED in the photo.  It really looks like the tips are on fire.  Yes, I like this picture, but I could really do without these weeds!  Come on frost!  Anytime now!

As I was sitting in the car, realizing that all I was thinking about was how much I wanted that first heavy frost, it hit me how wrong this was!  I need to be focusing on being content!  Not wishing for the future to hurry up and get here.  This verse came to mind...

"But Godliness with contentment is great gain"  1 Timothy 6:6

And following closely behind this verse, I thought of this one...

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As I was thinking about these verses, I put my phone down (my Bible is on my phone - gotta love new technology), and looked out the window of the car.  I really looked out the window.  What I saw took my breath away.  The variations in the colors was simply amazing.  This tree was almost right in front of me.  I noticed the wondrous shift of color from green to yellow to orange to red.  I saw all of the groups of people walking on pathways.  The breeze caused leaves to drop from the trees.  There were little children picking up the colored leaves off of the ground.  And it seemed that there were cameras in almost every hand!  How could I have missed this?   So I spent the last part of our time at the Arboretum really looking!  And I rejoiced in the work of God's hand, painting the forest with colors.  By the time we drove out of the park, I was giving thanks for those amazing weeds.  I just love how Jesus can teach us a lesson so quickly!   

Jesus, thank you for your amazing creation!  Thank you for the change of season that paints the landscape with color.  Holy Spirit, you are a wonderful teacher that gives us gentle nudges to remind us exactly where our focus needs to be.  Thank you for Ken and his love of photography that got me out into this beautiful place.   Help us all to be content and thankful!  Amen