I’m about to break out my hot chocolate mug. I’m sitting in my reading chair and a cold breeze is blowing in the windows, making the curtains billow out. I love it! I was sitting in the porch swing contemplating putting on blue jeans till the wind blew rain on me and I had to come in the house. I’m watching the clouds, beautiful in their muted colors, race across the sky in the wind. The bamboo are enjoying dancing with their partner Francine, her dance card full with her bamboo suitors.

I’m under a lap blanket and Penelope is asleep in my lap. Francine has blown in as a crisp fall day. The cardinals love these days and are chattering around the feeders happily. My yard is full of birds, singing and flittering around, sitting on the power lines waiting for an empty perch on a feeder. The blue jays have been sounding their alarms all morning. I wonder if Kat’s presence is disturbing them. It’s 66 degrees in my house and Francine is blowing her fall breezes through my house. It’s marvelous. Wonderful sleeping weather.

I love rainy days. Makes me think of the country song, I Love a Rainy Night, by Eddie Rabbit. I think I can remember some of the lyrics but I changed night to day. “Well, I love a rainy day. I love to hear the thunder. Watch the lightning when it lights up the skies. You know it makes me feel good.” Looked the lyrics up and I remembered well. Rainy days give us time to sit down and relax and pondering on life. Gives the farmers a day of needed rest. When it rains in our lives we pray for God to show us the way back to the sunshine.

God sends his rain to green the earth, cleanse the air, cool the temperature down. God’s grace rains down on us, his grace cleansing our souls and refreshing our faith. In the Bible rain is seen as a symbol of God’s blessings. Psalm 147:8 says, “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grown on the hills.”

I was watching the mist falling and I wondered if the rain were tears from God’s eyes. I know he’s disappointed in the way his people are acting and how they are treating each other. I think he would say our world is lost. Our morals, our respect for life, our faith in God, our capacity for compassion and kindness, our love for our fellow man are all lost in the frantic pace of our all consuming lives and our worship of the almighty dollar. We have some wicked hearts in our world and our prayers need to be said in earnest.

Jesus said, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” We can’t love the world and God at the same time. Don’t let God be displaced in your life. Put him first in all you do and your life will will be joyous and full of peace.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6:24-26