Today is perfectly wonderful in its impression of fall. Mother Nature and Father Sky have been playing with the clouds all day. I’ve perched here in the swing and marveled as I’ve watched the clouds change and morph into different cloud types and differences shapes. Saw a huge cloud that was a perfect rendering of a swan. Course it was gone when I got back with the camera, melted in the breeze, but I did snap a photo of an angel feather cloud. This feather cloud is not nearly as perfect as the last one I saw but I think every one can see a feather in this cloud’s personification.

The yard symphony is so quiet. My faithful cardinals are not around today. Just titmice, finches, and chickadees are flitting around the feeders. Chipmunks and squirrels are everywhere gathering acorns. The wind chimes are so faint, playing a haunting melody that floats on the slight breeze. The butterflies are pretty sitting on the last blooms of fall, their beauty in contrast with the brown stems of the dying flower branches. One lone brown magnolia leaf is clattering down the street as the wind pushes it along, sounds like a child’s shoes slapping on the pavement. I watched a whirlwind pick up the brown oak tree leaves, spinning them down the street. The magnolia leaf was too late to hop on the whirlwind’s carnival ride.

The clouds have stretched themselves thin and are holding hands, covering the sky canopy in a thin layer of white. The sun is setting now, her bright rays blinding me with its brilliant white light. Mother Nature has just picked up her watercolor brushes and highlighted the horizon in the palest of pinks. I’m waiting for her to color the surrounding clouds anticipating what colors she’ll touch her brush to. She stroked the clouds in layers of pale peach and pale pink, blending them from lights to dark. The sky looks like a antique cut glass bowl full of scoops of raspberry and orange sherbet. So beautiful! Father Sky hung his first quarter moon directly over my house in the dusk of the day. I came inside before the stars were uncovered and pinned on the sky canopy. No clouds to hid the sparkly stars tonight.

Clouds serve their own purposes. They cool the earth by reflecting the sun’s rays and they warm the planet on cold cloudy nights. Clouds hold rain and help water the Earth. When we look at the cloudless blue sky, we know that eventually clouds will come in and change our view. Troubles and chaos roll up in our lives like the storm clouds roll up on the horizon. Life isn’t all about the good times. We learn the grace to be humble and to appreciate all the gifts and blessings we have in our lives when we go through trying times. Sometimes our choices bring on the storm clouds.

They say “every cloud has a silver lining.” The silver lining tells us that life’s sad and unpleasant situations have a beautiful layer of God’s love. The silver linings in our lives come when we see the clouds on the horizon in a positive light. We need to create positivity for the negativity to stay away. We can find the silver lining in our clouds with God’s love and mercy. Through our faith and prayers, we know the storm clouds on our horizon will be emptied of heartache with the bright beacon of hope that comes from believing God will send the rainbow when it’s needed the most.

“If clouds are blocking the sun, there will always be a silver lining that reminds me to keep on trying,” — Matthew Quick