Take Time

I will praise the Lord.

Lord my God, you are very great.

You are dressed in glory and majesty.

You wrap yourself in light as if it were a robe.

You spread the heavens out like a tent.

Psalm 104:1-2

It is mid-September and after a brutal, drought-stricken summer with strings of days of temperatures over 100 degrees, the weather is cooling off and recent rains have restored color to our lawn and gardens. With pleasant temperatures throughout the day, we have more hours to spend enjoying the outdoors. Let's not forget to take the time to do so. Let's have picnic lunches on the now-green lawn and do read-alouds outside. Let's feel the warm - not hot - sun on our skin and feel the cool breeze whisper of God's love and freshness.

This morning Will woke me up at 6:30, telling me it was morning. I looked out the window with him, and although it was still dark, the sky was no longer night-black but pre-dawn deep blue. The sliver of moon hung just above the trees and a bright, bright star shone higher in the sky. A few minutes later I looked out and saw the golden-pink of the sunrise just starting to take over the horizon, so I called Will back into my room and showed it to him. At first we thought the moon had disappeared but then we saw it higher and fainter in the sky. The same star shone above it, its brightness being dulled by the rising sun.

Still later, around 7:30, Will said, "Mom, come look at this." Rushed though I was, I took the time to go see what he was looking at. He pointed at the stairs With the front door open, the sun was streaming through the storm door and casting its bright glow on the right side of the staircase. The orange-pink on the oak treads was just beautiful.

I thought to myself that if I had not taken time to show nature to Will earlier, he may have rushed past the golden sunshine and missed the fleeting beauty of the play of light on the staircase.

Let's not be too busy to miss these oppotunities. Moments like these, days like these, and years like these will be gone before we know it if we don't take the time to enjoy them.

I will sing to the Lord all my life.

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May these thoughts of mine please him.

I find my joy in the Lord.

Psalm 104:33-34