Another cool fall day with glorious yellow sunshine and deep blue sky. Warmed up enough for me to do some porch swing perching and bird watching this afternoon. Filled the bird feeders up rolling around in the yard on my carpet of acorns. Fatty has a lot of acorns to stash away. I washed the bird baths and cleaned their solar fountains. When I walked away Kat stood upright putting her paws on the cement bird bath and drank deeply. Sometimes she sits statue like under the bird baths waiting on a bird snack. The water in all three bird baths was frozen when Penelope and I took our first walk this morning. I got all my pansies planted in my urns and pots. I love their velvet blooms.

I’m thinking about inspiration for tonight, sitting in the swing wearing a sweater, socks on my feet. It’s getting cool. I’m cold. Penelope is napping under her pink blanket in her playpen. Kat is sleeping upside down in her bird pillow chair. A slight breeze is playing a soft lullaby symphony on my wind chime collection. Twilight is walking up my street, cooling the air, dimming the light, it’s magical mist making the champagne watercolors on the horizon so beautiful. Father Sky has tucked the sun and her rays in bed and waked the sky’s twinkling diamonds. I see no moon but he’s sleepily rising to center stage of the night sky pageant, his waning gibbous self a luminous pale nightlight in the sky’s inky darkness.

Bob Marley said, “Love the life you live! Live the life you love!” I love the life I’m living back in the little town I grew up in. I’m the third generation living in the house built in 1920 as a wedding present for my maternal grandmother. If you “love the life you live” you’re grateful and content with your circumstances. To “live the life you love” you have to be intentional about life choices, pursuing your passions, building a life that’s meaningful and fulfilling. Living the life you have gives you choices to build a life you love. I know I’m a lucky old girl to be able to perch in the porch swing in my ancestral home each day, watching the beautiful songbirds soothe my soul as the day’s light brightens and dims.

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 the rope in life’s darkest moments of trials and tribulations. I think of the rope as our faith in the Lord. We make the conscious choice to live our life with Christian faith and our faith gives us strength to weather life’s storms. My mother always said, “The Lord never gives you more than you can carry.” Sometimes our backs break from our burdens and we stumble along but God is right there with us every day helping us carry the weight of our worries. Psalm 5:22 reads, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” When we feel the Lord has deserted us 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 in him and his faithfulness. Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

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 for a peaceful journey. 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. Isaiah 41:10 reads, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God is our strength and an helpmate in times of troubles. We gather our strength though our prayers, confident that God hears our pleads. 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 darkest storm. Just a glimmer of God’s light can guide us through the darkness.

“There’s only one power in the world great enough to help us rise above the difficult things we face: the power of God.” — Stormie Omartian