We have been living in the Midwest for nearly 12 years and have not yet been to Chicago. So, it was time. And what better reason than to look are Christmas ornaments at the Christmas market that opened last weekend. Yes, I bought MORE ornaments…
They were amazing but the Chicago skyline is something to see as well…
A lot of the buildings had rounded corners. Even this cathedral was not square but had hexagon spires. I didn’t know any of the building’s names but this chrome and glass building made me stop and stare.
And of course, there were many street entertainers that were enjoyable to listen to.
And then as we head home, the sky gave us another beautiful thing to enjoy.
Remember that as you go to places that you may not be familiar with, you can still share kindness as you go. It may be something that can help someone smile.
What a crazy October and November…I will start with Sunday and go backward for several posts. I hope all are well and enjoying the coming holiday season.
Sunday…first snowfall…
It was my favorite kind. Wet, and clinging to the trees turning everything into a white wonderland…and clear roads. It’s Wednesday night and it is still on the ground as temps have been below freezing all week. But tomorrow it warms up into the 40s so it will soon be gone. Then I can get my outside Christmas lights up.
It’s so pretty how it covers everything in gentle, quiet purity. There is something about the early morning quietness of the first snowfall…what peace should be like.
I pray for areas across the world that are not experiencing peace at this time. If we could all learn how to get along, not be greedy, or power hungry. May we all learn to find peace and share its kindness…like the peace of gentle snow.
We have been blessed with a true fall this year. Coming back from vacation last week I expected all the leaves to be gone. But some of the bright reds and yellows are still with us.
Compared to years past, we usually have no leaves left by this time, and even though we had that spit of snow and 30-degree temps, we got visited by a beautiful Indian Summer.
But this yellow…I just had to pull over and look at it.
The picture is not as beautiful as the real tree but still amazing. If we don’t look around our world during all of its seasons, this is what we can miss. The trees sharing their final gift of beauty before going to sleep for the winter.
Let’s learn a lesson from nature around us. Regardless of the season we are currently living in with our lives, we can still share the beauty in us by sharing a smile or a kind word. There is always kindness that can be given, so give it freely.
Ludwig gives us the opportunity to notice windows. Windows can have stories all on their own from mystery to beauty and as his post for today – some simple wonder.
My window today is somewhat a play on God’s light but in reality it is His light which is shining in through one window on the south side of the sanctuary and coming through a window on the north side of the sanctuary at the courtyard. I was taken in by its beauty and meaning as the window in the courtyard is shining out of is a star.
The light coming into the dark sanctuary…
And the light coming out of the sanctuary…
You can see the light refracting through the stained glass creating reflections on the outside of the window. It was striking from my point of view.
Its a reminder for those of us in the Christian faith to make sure God’s light is shining through us reflecting His beauty to all who may see it.
Yes indeed, the switch finally got hit and all of a sudden, it is Autumn in the Midwest. The reds and the yellows are shining their best giving us a show of the beauty of the season, making all of us smile all the way to church and back..
Our cemetery had beautiful hardwoods. These two monuments frame in the beauty of this maple.
Autumn is a time where trees wish us goodnight with a brilliant show of color before taking their winter’s nap. It is a reminder to not give up even though things may be very hard…spring will come again filled with beauty and love for all to see and feel. So feel the kind beauty they are sharing and reflect that kindness on to others for we all needs hugs of kindness.
Well, it’s not really a bat cave but this section of road, my daughter and I call the Bat Cave because it reminds us of the road to the Bat Cave in the Batman movies. And now that the leaves are just starting to change color, it’s beauty is really beginning to shine. Cee reminds us that leaves are acceptable for Flower of the Day as well.
This road cuts through the edge of Black Hawk Forest and you can see the entrance to where the trees fully overlap the road which we call the Bat cave.
When the colors get full and it is a pretty day. I will shoot out further pictures. For now enjoy the beauty of fall as it surrounds your area.
And remember to be kind as the season of plants prepares for winter naps, and we as people, prepare for the holidays or in my case, more football games.
Cee’s Flower of the Day is always inspiring regardless of the season. I still have flowers that refuse to give up, even though the weather has cooled way down. So, I am honoring them today with all their many faces.
This is a flower planted by the birds in my area. I started to mow it down but decided to wait and see what it would be…and it’s quite lovely. I think it is in the Coreopsis family of flowers. The plant is in various levels of blooming, so I shall share the different faces of this plant.
While the fall flowers are still trying to smile at us, it’s a reminder for us to smile as well. Smiling is a great and easy way to share kindness.
Cee reminds us with her Flower of the Day challenge that flowers are indeed worth having their own challenge as they challenge each day with their beauty and grace.
While I have shared my sunflowers several times, the early morning sun shining through the trees and this particular sunflower “tree”, it seemed that it needed to be shared again.
It really is a single stalk and it is now in full bloom where some of the older blooms are dying and going to seed, but still, it remains eye-catching. I have neighbors who come by on their walks to stand there for a few moments to look at it.
Nature is amazing even in bad weather but this morning is beautiful with the first feeling of this year’s cool autumn air. It will get warm again but at least this is a start. In all that you do, remember to always be kind. It can warm a much-needed heart on a cool autumn day.
Portulaca grandiflora, are more commonly known to those of us who can’t pronounce scientific names as Moss Roses. They are marvelous small succulent plants with flowers of many colors within the same grouping.
But this mixture of beauty reminds me of the beauty people can be if they try. We live together in clusters called cities, we all look different, we wear different colors, are different heights, and we have different ways to share our beauty of life.
Maybe you are a rich red beauty looking like a miniature rose…
Or maybe you are the soft gentle soul of light yellow rose…
Which is vastly different than the bright yellow which reflects the brightness of the sunshine.
Or maybe you are the neutral power of strength for all colors having no color at all.
My favorite of these lovely flowers is the mauvy pinkish-red which to me shares the kindness that we should all share with all people regardless of the brightness of the colors we wear.
As flowers gracefully move into the fall season, let us not forget the beauty that they have shared with us all summer. This is how they shared their love and kindness with us. We should take a cue from them and always remember to be kind to others in our “cluster of flowers”, especially to those who may need a little extra kindness.
We know there are many professions out there that require education and training that many of us rely on, like doctors, lawyers, or professors. But there are many amazing jobs that require training and a skill set that many of us don’t have. Jobs that require you to stand on a platform hundreds of feet in the air to wash a window. This past week while I was in Georgia, I watched the tree trimming guys take down an 80’+ tall pine tree. A guy had spikes on his shoes as he climbed up the tall tree, then he had a belt around his waist to secure him to the tree.
I didn’t get the very top shots of him when he started but he dropped down about 10′ below each time before he cut.
After the tree was down, they cleaned up all the shavings, and then the crane truck came in to pick up the logs.
This shot gives you a good idea of how big this tree was. The piece he was trying to roll toward the crane had easily been 40′ up in the air. It was a big pine. It will make some good lumber.
I asked him if he knew how much each piece weighed and he said between 400 and 500 pounds. Knowing this information, it makes more sense of the damage these big trees make if they fall on your house. From inside the house, we could feel the pounding vibration each section made as it fell to the earth.
We need to remember to never look down on one person’s profession as inferior …could you do this? I couldn’t. I am grateful for all the tree trimmers, the window washers, the janitors, and all the professionals who clean up after the rest of us, and of course, the professions that take care of us like firefighters and police. They all deserve the same respect as those who keep our bodies alive, our teeth clean, and our children educated.
So treat each other with respect and kindness and let’s quit judging certain professions as more important than others. Maybe if we can do that, then kindness will be the norm instead of the surprise. There is no job that is not important…if it is not important then it is not needed.
