I’m grateful and thankful to wake this morning, warm under my covers, hearing the birds sweetly sing their hymns of praise for a beautiful morning. Life is a glorious journey and we choose whether to walk with grace or drag our feet tripping up on things we can’t accept or change. We need to express gratitude for every little blessing. Got lots of blessings in my life and I’m grateful for each one of them.

A fat mocking bird, sitting on the roof outside the guest room window this morning, was surveying his territory while whistling like a man calling for his dog. He just kept on singing his whistles, even Penelope was listening. Shortly, I actually hear a young man whistling for his dog. Not making this up…the dog’s name was “Ass Hole.” I could hear the young man whistling and calling, “Ass Hole, come on home boy.” Should have gotten up and peeked out the window but that name…been wondering all day what the dog looked like. Probably a “she waa waa” as my friend says. J. Stuart Ablon writes, “If you give a dog a name, eventually they will answer to it,” That’s probably not the worst ever name for a dog but pretty close. They loved the dog enough to look for it, though, and that counts. Hope he got home safely.

Went to sleep in my reading chair while I was watching Ice Road Truckers this afternoon and I missed the pageantry of the sunset. I jumped up and went to the window but I was too late. Mother Nature was painting sunset’s closing curtain a lovely pale lavender. As the day darkened, I walked Penelope under a beautiful luminous waxing gibbous moon, lighting up the purple velvet of the night sky canvas as the diamond stick pins of stars twinkled goodnight to the day. “Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night,” Sarah Williams. The night sky is a wonder and while the sun sleeps the moon watches over the earth in all its glory.

Fatty the squirrel is back in my yard now and fatter than ever. He’s taken over one of the sunflower feeder and eats so much when he finishes he lies on his stomach on a slender oak limb with all four legs dangling down. The first time I saw him lying down on the limb I thought he was dead. But he was just in a food coma! When he leaves the oak tree he takes an acrobatic dive from the power line to a bamboo stalk then rides the stalk till it swings to the backyard chestnut tree.

Fatty got on my bird feeder camera this morning. He’s really a handsome little creature, posing for the camera dressed in his gray fur coat. I watched him pick up sunflower seeds, cramming them in his mouth while watching the yard with his bright black eyes. He finally filled his stomach and his cheeks up and jumped down. Soon as he hit the ground, the neighborhood watch dog Bootsie ran him across the street and up a power pole. Bootsie took a sunbath at the bottom of the pole so Fatty was trapped up there. That fat little squirrel just sat up there calmly surveying his territory, holding his tail in a perfect question mark. He never fails to amuse me with his squirrel shenanigans.

Biblical scripture never mentions squirrels by name but spiritually we see squirrels as symbols of foresight, resourcefulness, adaptability, and playfulness. The squirrels comical behavior remind us that God has a sense of humor. Squirrels are seriously concerned with their food supply and are serious gatherers. Like the squirrels, we should store up our acorns of faith in our hearts so we can look inward in times of trouble and rely on God’s grace to sustain us. We should be persistent in our prayers as we seek God’s will. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee,” Psalm 119:11.

The world is a glorious habitat but life is a struggle and we need our faith in God to help us along the way, especially when we have difficult times. Don’t give up hope when life is a challenge. Pray persistently and listen faithfully to God’s words. Our faith can keep our eyes on our heavenly destination. A squirrel is just a squirrel. He doesn’t try to change his world or change himself. He goes about his daily chores with all the energy of just being a squirrel.

We should be just a squirrel, living our Christian lives, gathering our acorns of God’s love, storing them in our hearts, protecting our faith, preparing for eternity. Success and happiness come from just being ourselves, living our lives based on our Christian values. A life full of joy allows you to live a life of purpose. Being true to yourself and your Christian beliefs will be your guide to living a fulfilling life. Never stop gathering your acorns of faith.

“A squirrel’s playfulness reminds us that joy can be found in the simple things.” — Unknown