Left Peachtree City early this morning after my grandchildren went to school. Chased a beautiful blue sky, cloudless and sunny, all the way home to Alabama. When I crossed the Alabama-Georgia line, Father Sky rubbed his blueberry pastel across the horizon and left some soft strokes of color in layers of blues and purples. I watched his pastel sketched clouds slowly dissolve as he began drawing beautiful fluffy white clouds, letting the sun bleach their crowns snow white while he shaded their bellies cigar smoke gray.

Been sitting in the swing and pondering on life and how content and fortunate I am. I missed all my bird friends. My yard this morning is full of cardinals, doves, mockingbirds, wrens, sparrows, brown-headed cow birds, red-breasted grosbeaks, downy woodpeckers, purple finches, chickadees, and a new visitor, a male grackle. Grackles are long and lanky with glossy black plumage and bright yellow eyes. Never thought of this but it’s true for me, “I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them,” Kathi Hutton. The birds give me such pleasure and peace and comfort, specially the handsome crimson male cardinals.

The wind is orchestrating a beautiful wind chime melody, pinging the pipes softly. I’ve just planted my vegetables in my large pots and have my zinnias and sunflower seeds waiting for oldest brother’s tiller to come plow up my flower bed. My string of porch party lights just came on and I’m reminded of a quote of Ray Bradbury’s, “Heaven is a house with porch lights.”

After church Sunday my grandchildren and I talked about what heaven must be like. I told them their granddaddy Chief always described heaven as a continuation of life on earth with all our loved ones who had gone before us. We’d just carry on with life up there like we do down here. My darling granddaughter said she thought heaven was like a big dining room table and all the people we loved were gathered around the table laughing and having a good time, holding hands and saying the blessing, eating a big dinner. I guess we all have our own descriptions of heaven and it will be glorious but till I get up there, I’m pretty close to heaven here in my porch swing waiting for the sun to set.

Mother Nature directed her sunset pageant behind blueberry sundae curtains, broad brush strokes from her watercolor brushes in shades of vanilla ice cream and blueberry syrup hung layered across the sky at sunset. The sun princess stepped on stage in a glowing white light, dressed in a beautiful golden sequined gown, sliding down the horizon on the arm of Father Sky, dressed formally in his black tuxedo. As she laid her head down behind the curtains on the horizon, twilight came creeping across the landscape slowly dimming the day’s light.

Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight and rushed to wake up the moon and stars, sleeping peacefully in their overcast cloud covers. Father Sky finally waked the waning gibbous moon, only three-fourths dressed, and pinned him high on the black night velvet. The stars quickly put on their jewels and jumped in Father Sky’s hands to be thrown up into the high heavens to dance around the moon. Day’s light gone and night’s light lives.

Fatty, my resident yard pestering squirrel has been mischievous while I was gone, taking down two feeders and spilling their seeds. Haven’t seen him today he’s probably laid up in his nest in a food coma. I think about Fatty when I occasionally run across this quote in my reading. “The highway of life is filled with flat squirrels that couldn’t make a decision,” John C. Maxwell. Probably applies to us, too! When God leads you to make a decision trust him. Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight.”

God has given us so many blessings. We need to be thankful and appreciate each one them. The Bible says in Micah there are three things God wants to see in us: justice, kindness, and humility. He wants us to be kind and compassionate and treat people fairly and respectfully. Sometimes I think the world has forgotten how to be compassionate and respectful. We need to teach our children to treat everyone kindly and to respect their differences. Let’s pray for the world and all its people. Maybe the world can learn to agree to disagree without violence.

God gives us spiritual gifts that bless us and help us serve others. He give us salvation and joy and eternal life. Through our prayers he give us peace and comfort. He loves us and walks beside us each day, carrying us when the load we carry is too heavy. And he gives us the hope of another day, another new beginning with each sunrise and sunset.

“Every day is a gift from God. Learn to focus on the Giver and enjoy the gift!” — Joyce Meyer