Penelope and I took a ride in a little whirlwind of brown oak leaves this morning. She was doing her morning aggressive sniffing of the mail box post and the leaves jumped up and surrounded us in a quick little whirlwind. We just stood still and the leaves quickly swirled around us and then danced off down the street. A few big old magnolia leaves tried to follow the small oak leaves but the wind stopped the journey before they could jump on the whirlwind.

Came in the house after walking Penelope and looked up scripture and quotes about whirlwinds. Hosea 8:7 reads, “They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.” This scripture in Hosea reminds us that even small foolish behavior can multiply into major consequences. The Ancient Greek poet Sappho wrote, “Without warning, as a whirlwind swoops on an oak, love shakes my heart.” Sappho’s quote makes me remember the night I realized I was in love with Chief. We were speeding down Highway 280 in his old green station wagon on the way to Russell’s Sylacauga Sewing Plant to cover a third shift safety dinner. The windows were down in the car, our hair blowing everywhere, and he turned and smiled my way. When our eyes met my heart started racing. In love with the boss….

The sky was so pretty this morning overcast with thick vanilla clouds clumped together fat and fluffy. I could see their edges as they gathered, pushing each other along, holding hands to keep the sun hidden. I couldn’t decide what color to call the sky. Finally decided it was aqua white, pretty in its pale shade. After I walked Penelope I poured out all the old sunflower seeds and suet cakes from all the bird feeders and filled all the feeders with fresh food, cleaned the bird baths. My songbirds have been scarce lately. Not many feeding except the faithful cardinals most days. Yesterday, though, the yard was full of birds enjoying the rainy day. If it’s gets as cold as forecasted the birds will turn into piggies at all the feeders. Bought an extra 40 pound bag of sunflower seeds so I’m ready.

Been pondering on prayer today. Chief knelt beside the bed and prayed each night. And read in the Bible after he got in bed. I asked him once did he pray for me. He said, “Yes, mama.” Joyce Meyer writes, “We need to take God out of our emergency only box and allow him into our every day life.” I think this is so true for lots of us. Before I experienced the loss of my daughter, I was careless with my prayers. Not praying enough, not thanking God for my blessings, only praying when an emergency brought me to my knees. As I prayed for strength for myself after her death and for God’s help in easing Chief’s grief, I began to feel God’s love through my prayers, my heart felt lighter, and I looked forward to the day’s blessings. I truly believe prayers saved the lives of my grandson and my nephew when they faced life threatening illnesses. So, so many prayers were prayed for their healing. Prayers are powerful and prayers can move a mountain. I’ve seen prayers at work.

“Hope is born in the silence of prayer.” – Unknown

Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in, and relax confidently on the lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know, and acknowledge and recognize him, and he will make your paths straight and smooth…” God listens to our prayers and shoulders our burdens. “I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words,” Psalm 17:6.

When I wake in the mornings I thank God for another day on this planet Earth. Billy Graham wrote, “In the morning prayer is the key that opens to us the treasures of God’s mercies and blessings; in the evening it is the key that shuts us up under His protection and safeguard.” These words are comforting to me, reminding me of the power of sincere faithful prayer.

St. John Damascene, a 7th-8th century monk and Doctor of the Church, defined prayer as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God.”

Sometimes our prayers aren’t answered and we wait for God’s guidance. He knows the path we’ll walk and sometimes our unanswered prayers are God’s greatest gifts. If we’re patient, we’ll eventually realize God knows what’s best. I love Max Lucado’s words on prayer. “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”

Prayer is just a heart to heart conversation with God. He knows our needs and our cares, our dreams and our fears, our concerns and our disappointments. He wants to help carry our worries and bring peace into our lives. If all you do in your prayers is say “thank you” that’s all God needs to hear.

“What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, prayer is to the soul.”— Corrie Ten Boom