Things I'm looking forward to about Autumn:

-- the hues that will paint the trees

-- being able to wear my jeans and jacket without someone saying "Aren't you hot?!"

-- my homeschool co-op that's starting tomorrow

-- the cooler temperatures that make everything else cozy!

-- wearing my super, uber cute brown boots that are sitting patiently in my closet

-- the Fall Season/"Halloween" Party that occurs at my house

-- knowing that Thanksgiving is around the corner, one of my two favorite "holidays" (Easter being the other one.)

-- wearing really crazy socks (but under my long jeans, so it's a secret!) :D

-- laying in cool grass

-- the wind playing with my hair

-- my grandparents coming down from Michigan for Autumn/Winter/Spring time.

-- excitedly knowing that right when the excitement of Fall and Thanksgiving is over, the celebration of Jesus' birthday will begin.

Seven more days!

It's That Time of Year Again

Most of the days on my August calendar are sporting giant X's. There are Target bags of school supplies on the stairs. The parents are about to strangle us with all the TV that we've been watching. Every store commercial supports the phrase "back to school."

I found out after I left school, just how much I love it. I love the classroom atmosphere. I love adults passing on their wisdom. I love notebooks, and pens, and the intensity of vigorous note-taking. I'll be at the college three hours, four days a week this semester, and I'm stinkin' excited!

This also means, with school starting, Autumn is on its way! I forget how much I love Fall until it's around the corner. The leaves will change. Homework will be rushed to get done so that the scary movies on TV can be watched. The weather will cool nicely. I'll get to wear lovely Fall/Winter clothes (scarves, boots, jeans, and the occasional hat), which I favor far more than summer clothing. Thanksgiving will find our hearts and stomachs once again.

OK, I'm getting a tad ahead of myself -- but when you think about, just a tad.

It'll be lovely. I can't wait.

It. Is. Cold!

I awoke to the sound of my friend Janessa yelling, "Elisabeth, Elisabeth, come here! Hurry!" So, I rolled off Janessa's bed and meet her in the hallway. "It's cold, it's sooo cold!" she exclaimed as we raced down the hall and past her older brother eating breakfast at the table. Together we leaped through the back door and danced around the pool in our beloved cold front.

Notice the long sleeves and blanket we felt were necessary at Janessa's brothers' soccer game this morning. It was that cold. Welcome, Autumn.

Hello, Autumn...

The first signs of Autumn have presented itself...

All the kindergarten students in the class I work with are already planning Halloween parties and contemplating costumes. I miss the excitement and magic of Halloween dearly, but I receive my joy through them.

There is, of course, the seasonal Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte, which I have yet to consume. The consistency, however, is comforting. I appreciate it abundantly!

There is the warmly familiar sight of the Autumn Pottery Barn magazine. You know you'll never actually buy anything, but I am emotionally attached to flipping through the red, yellow, orange, brown pages.

There is the reunion of those friendly scarecrows that find their early way out of your neighbor's garage and onto their lawn.

Yes, Autumn has sneaked its way into 2009 early this year. The colors and familiarities please my eyes so. The smells, such as my beloved Pumpkin & Spiced Apple reed incense diffuser, the crisp, sharp smell of changing leave and winds reach deep down into me. I look forward to Falling deeper into Autumn.

Stop & Listen

As I was enjoying the view of the beautiful land that is Florida through the wonderfully big windows in my newly clean bedroom, I came to this shocking realization...

I have yet to hear God's voice.

I then began to mercilessly plague myself with questions, questions such as "What does He sound like?" "Is His voice loud, maybe frightening?" "Rather, is it a loving, nurturing sound?" The concept began to grow and grow within my mind until I felt my head about ready to burst. Of course, there is scripture discussing the Lord's voice, but I am sure you agree that it is simply not the same.

How strange, I thought. This God, this Father with whom I have grown so close to over the years has not once revealed His voice to me. I, His child, to this day could not point out His voice by ear. It was comforting, though, that I was drawn back by the absurdity that I did not know His voice, indicating (so I believe) that I am indeed close with my Maker.

So I sat there, by my big window, inhaling the sent of my Autumn candles, for quite a while pondering the mystery of how one can grow so close to another without even speaking words to each other.

It was at that instant, between feeling dumbfounded and not worthy of His speech, I realized that of course we have communicated! I hear God all the time! I am not merely talking into oxygen and gravity, I am talking to a God who hears, a God who listens, a God who indeed replies.

He answers my prayers, I do receive strength and that peace the passes understanding. I feel Him when I just open my Bible. My youth pastor put it as "discipline" to hear the Lord, and it is. You must have spiritual discipline to open a Bible, to turn off the music, isolate yourself and stop & listen. The results can be extremely clear, far clearer than any audible sound.

"In people we are looking for God to show up in big and glorious ways, and there were times when He came simply in a whisper or a breeze."