Where the Shadows Linger

There is a distinct, quiet magic that returns to this room when the calendar finally turns to the cooler months. Sitting at my desk in the stillness of the early morning, I watched the first condensation of the season bloom across the outside of the window panes—a soft, silver veil signaling the arrival of the weather I love most. 

Looking past the glass, the yard is still a collection of shadowy, half-formed silhouettes waking up to the chill, a beautiful contrast to the soft and comforting blanket of coziness that instantly wraps around me the moment the air turns crisp. 

It is early, quiet, and absolutely perfect; a gentle reminder of why we wait all year for these days to arrive.

Living in North Carolina, however, longing for the season I love most, the air seems to filter back and forth through the onslaught of Fall. It's most easily compared to a battle of one against the other. As if the hot, sweltering days of Summer refuses to release it's grip on earth's atmosphere, while the soft, cool and very inviting winds of change entice even the hottest of days.

And as I sit here, watching the shadows deepen across the yard from my desk, I realize how much comfort there is in this transition. Nature never fights the turning of the calendar; it simply leans into the quiet, cool spaces. Change is coming, whether we feel entirely ready or not, and there is a distinct magic in letting it happen. 

☕️ I’m trading my iced coffee for a warm mug, watching the weather patterns transform as they remind me of the coming of comfort...as I happily welcome everything this new season has to offer.

Watching...as the shadows linger, here you will find me...in Mary's World.

It's 3 AM...

There are some nights I get plenty of rest. Some nights are interrupted with dreams that keep me up for the rest of the day.

I wouldn't say they are tormenting dreams. They do have the potential to do just that, however. If I don't settle myself. This morning, I knew my over-active brain was going to put a spin on this dream, simply because it's one of my deep seated fears that give reign to my spin abilities.  

And if you know me, even just a little bit, you also know I go into over-drive pretty easily. Especially if the situation deems it an imagination that has the potential of becoming a reality. 

And then...God inserted a song into my soul, by way of the very over-active brain in my head. It needed a reminder. And it began to play... 

I love You, Lord
Oh, Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands  (He reminds me of this from time to time...)
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire  (Oh boy. Has He ever! We all have our fires, don't we?)
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah

And all my life You have been faithful, oh
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah

'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me (All we need do is open our eyes to see this truth)
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me, oh-oh
'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after me

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing
Oh, 'cause
'Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God

One of the most comforting things God has ever spoken to me, came at a time I was facing what looked to me, to be too much uncertainty. No vision of what the next few years would look like. I had no trouble conjuring up what they COULD look like...and therein was the problem. 

The words were clear. There was no question where they came from. And they settled me. 

"Wherever you find yourself to be...I will be there."

As always, here you will find me...in Mary's World

What Can Happen in A Second...

I swear I just closed these blinds to shut out any remaining light from the day. I roll myself into bed, snuggle down and dream of whatever my sub-conscience has deemed worthy to latch onto.

But now...Now, I am opening those same blinds once again. The night went fast and another day has dawned.

In only a few hours, I'll be doing this rote action all over again. And I'll be thinking the same thing. "I just opened these blinds a short while ago."

Same thing when undoing, and making up, the bed. It feels as if I was just standing in this spot not that long ago. And yet the time has past and I grow ever older...

The hours are made up of minutes. The minutes made up of seconds.

Have you ever stood still and just watched the seconds tic off? Some might say, "Why would I ever waste time like that?" To me...the time isn't wasted when if puts ones life in perspective, where once it was all over the place. Floating through life as if those seconds had never existed.

If for no other reason, one should watch the seconds tic off at least once in their brief time here. A fresh appreciation for time granted you, will suddenly erupt inside a once sleeping brain.

Appreciation. Gratefulness. Awareness. 

Not so we could just cram more into our days, but that we could appreciate the moments of our days. Whether they be the quiet moments, or the busy moments. Appreciation causes our eyes to see things a bit clearer.

We become slower to judge others, even ourselves.

So much can happen in the breath of a second...

• Blinking...did you know your eyes blink 2-3 times it takes a second to tic off the clock?
• Heartbeats...did you know your heart pumps .07 liters of blood with each beat?
• Cellular activity...did you know that more than 100,000 chemical reactions take place inside your body every second?
• Lightening strikes...did you know that 100 lightening strikes hit the earth every second of any given day?
• Births & Deaths...did you know that within every second the clock tics, around 4 babies have been born and 2 deaths have occur, worldwide?

The list could go one, but what I really came here to say is that every second we draw oxygen into our lungs...matters.

Life, as we know it, can change considerably in the matter of seconds.

Some seconds throw us into confusion as to how we should respond to an unexpected situation. Good, or not so good. 

Maybe we should live a bit more intentionally.   

Just a random thought, musings, swirling around in my brain this morning...

As always, here you will find me...in Mary's World.