Pretty day today if you liked the vanilla colored layers of an overcast sky. I do because I love looking for different shades of clouds subdued and hiding in the sky. It’s a little cool but I sat perched in the porch swing and enjoyed watching all the birds — a college of cardinals, a charm of finches, a chime of wrens, a booby of nuthatches, a banditry of chickadees, and a cote of doves. I stumbled upon the plural names of these bird groups when I was looking up the plural of titmouse. I think a gathering of crows, called a murder, is the best name for a flock of birds. When a gathering of crows are cawing and carrying on they do sound like they’re committing a murder. Not a blue jay in sight today, though. Guess they are acorn gathering in someone else’s yard.

I’m thinking about inspiration for tonight, sitting in the swing wearing a sweater, socks on my feet. I’m cold. Penelope is napping under her pink blanket in her play pen. Kat is sleeping upside down in her bird pillow chair. It feels like fall is trying to break through and declare dominance over the lingering summer. A slight breeze is playing a soft symphony on my wind chime collection. A heavy mist is falling and I can feel the dampness through my socks as I walk down the sidewalk with Penelope.

For some unknown reason I just thought of a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt — “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” I know most of us have felt that way. We all cling to that rope in life’s darkest moments. I think of the rope as faith in the Lord. We make the conscious choice to live our life with Christian faith and that faith gives us strength. My mother always said, “The Lord never gives you more than you can carry.” Sometimes our backs break from our loads and we stumble along but God is right there with us helping carry our burdens. When we feel deserted it’s usually when he’s carrying the heaviest of our burdens. Our struggles give us a reminder of God’s light and love, teaching us to trust him and rely on his faithfulness.

Faith in God’s grace gives us the strength to hold on to life with the hope of a better tomorrow. When we hang on tight to our lifeline of faith we can keep fighting through life. The rope might begin to unravel before God takes over but he will never forsake us. If we lose our grip on the rope God will tie another knot or catch us when we fall. We gather our strength through our prayers, confident that God hears our pleas. Aristotle said, “It is in our darkest moments that we must focus to see some light.” God’s light is such a wonderful gift. His holy light can warm the coldest heart and bring peace in the fiercest storm. Just a glimmer of God’s light can guide us through the darkness.

Read this quote today. Didn’t write it down but I can remember it — “The true beauty of life is not how happy you are now, but how happy others are because of you,” Unknown. We are all ultimately responsible for own happiness yet we search for our happiness from others. Once we accept our place in the universe, grateful for our blessings, content with the life we’re living, and stop searching for what is right in front of us, we’ll find happiness. Find God’s strength in your life and hold on tight. As Bob Marley said, “Love the life you live! Live the life you love!”

“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.” — Barack Obama