Such a pretty sky today, light blue, bleached white fluffy clouds. Looks just like the pages from a children’s book I remember reading to my children. Been sitting here in the swing trying to remember the name of the book. It might be Little Cloud by Eric Carle. Sweet read for children.

The wind chimes on my porch and the porch across the street have played continuously all day in the cool breeze, dulling my senses as I concentrated on the different notes of the pipes trying to put words to their songs.

The yellow sulphur butterflies are all over the zinnias blooms and I’m enjoying their dance recitals. My yard is full of a charm of purple finches, small birds, very vocal, fussing and fighting all over the feeders. Haven’t seen the goldfinches this morning but the faithful cardinals are everywhere. A red bellied woodpecker is eating on one of the suet baskets, clinging on the side, bigger than the basket, eating with his sword beak. He can stick his tongue out two inches longer than his beak, such a handsome bird, fire engine red head, white checkered plumage. I love to watch him on the suet feeder and listen to him drumming on the old oak limbs.

The dogwood trees across are starting to dress in their fall frocks and the sun is changing her bright yellow summer sunshine to her golden rays of fall that brush over the neighborhood trees at sundown, highlighting their green crowns. I didn’t watch the sunset tonight because I was watching the Auburn and Alabama college football games. I love watching them and miss Chief and the tea parties we enjoyed during the games. Penelope watched me during the games hoping a dollop of cheese dip would fall off my plate to the floor.

Kat enjoyed torturing a fat blue tail skink this afternoon. She bit its tail off, I was trying not to watch. She carried it around prancing and dancing with the lizard’s head and two front feet hanging out of her mouth. Then she threw it on the porch and ate it for supper. Pretty disgusting when I peeked at her. After that she had the audacity to meow loudly for some cat chow which she wolfed down. Kat is a bottomless pit. She sat on the window sill outside the lady den windows while I watched the ball games meowing loudly. I told her to go eat another lizard.

Read this quote from a friend who sent it to me, who read it from a friend, who sent it to her. “Butterflies rest when it rains because it damages their wings. It’s ok to rest during the storms of life. You’ll fly again when it’s over.” Thought about that while I was sitting in the swing this morning. I was actually not pondering but was letting my mind do some wandering in the beauty of the morning.

I think butterflies are one of God’s most magnificent creations and I love to inspect them and their colorful wings when they are flitting around the zinnias. Mother Nature has painted them in wondrous colors. They live a short but glorious life. They don’t attempt to fly in the rain because the rain damages their wings. They wait for the rain to stop and then they open their wings to fly off and dance again on the flowers. They have learned perseverance.

We all face storms in our lives that rage around us, times we don’t have the intestinal fortitude to face the world. It’s okay to take time to pray and wait for the winds to subside. With God’s help we can wait out the storms knowing the sun and his promised rainbow will bring us back into the light. We all have times we need to rest and times we need to stretch our wings and enjoy this beautiful world God gave us. God has given us a lifetime on earth and it passes so swiftly.

In Isaiah, God says, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Even in your storms, when you don’t feel him, God is holding your hand, listening to your cries, walking beside you, bringing peace to your heart through prayers. You can lean on the Lord to guide you through the storms of life. God gives us strength and courage to weather the storms and like the butterflies we spread our wings and fly again.

“After every storm, there is a rainbow. If you have eyes, you will find it. If you have wisdom, you will create it. If you have love for yourself and others, you won’t need it,” Shannon L. Alder.