The Photographs

      I was at my in-laws the other evening and there were old photo albums laying about. Of course I love to look through pictures and so what could I do but pick them up. I couldn't help but smile as I flipped through old pictures of my husband as a little boy and his family and friends who I have come to know and love. Having not know my husband and his family for more than a couple years, it was fun to be able to step back in time and see a glimpse of who they used to be.
     I have always had this infatuation with old photos. I would look through old black and whites and imagine that person. Because they didn't just exist in that second in time, but they lived. What were they thinking, what did they do with their lives and who did they love?
     So often, we take life for granted, because it is so fleeting. It goes by fast and we don't take the time to truly appreciate the beauty of it. Photographs help us to remember. Your baby won't stay tiny for ever, your hair will turn gray, loved ones won't always be there.
     So today let the photographs, those snapshots in time, remind you of the beautiful and fleeting moments of life. Don't take them for granted. Live the moment and cherish time.

“What i like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”~Karl Lagerfeld 

Autumn Days

       I have begun to notice that Summer is slipping away and Fall is beginning to dance. On my way to school the other day, leaves were scurrying and crackling across my path as the wind swirled through them in a crunchy melody. And the woods are beginning to be painted with brilliant red and orange splashes amongst the green.
       Today is the perfect sort of Autumn day. I have my knitting out and the deep reds and browns of the yarn wrap themselves around me in a cozy cocoon. The wood stove is crackling and smells oh so wonderful. The music is gently playing in the background and the cup of coffee offers itself as a pleasant afternoon respite.
        Oh the simple beauties of a Fall day in Northern Minnesota. I hope you can see the beauty around you today. Stay cozy.

“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.”  ~Lee Maynard

Moonlight

     The other night, my husband and I went for a drive. We weren't going any where in particular, we were simply enjoying a lovely evening. There is something so beautiful and peaceful about a warm late summer day as it winds to an end. One thing that I noticed on our little adventure was the lake. As the sun goes down in a splash of purple, pink and blue it spreads its colors across the water. And then, when the sun is gone and the moon rises to the sky it dances across the lake in a magical way that inspires your heart to rest.
     Do you ever have a moment like that. A moment when you just feel a sense of rest wash over you. The radio plays a gentle tune, the wind dances through your hair and the man in the moon smiles down at you. It's like a moment of tangible grace. The circumstances that were trying to drag you down start to melt away and just like that you are reminded what grace truly is. So today, as we end a lovely Sunday, I challenge you to look for it. Let the moonlight dance, the music play, and the wind blow and feel it. Feel the grace of the One who holds you in His hand and says hear it, feel it, know it...My grace is for you. Good night.

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator."  ~Mahatma Gandhi

“How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank. Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music. Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night. Become the touches of sweet harmony.” ~Shakespeare