Happy November 1!

I love All-Saints Day.

It's when we pause to reflect on all the believers who have gone to heaven to be with Jesus before us, a day of triumph.  This world is not our home.  Death is not the end; it's the beginning of life everlasting.  It is when we get to leave behind the cares of this world, and live forever with our beautiful Lord and Savior, Jesus.  Problem free, pain free, just plain free for all eternity.

November is when we begin to think about these things, and thinking about such things makes us grateful, thankful.  November is a month of thankfulness, culminating in a great feast where we celebrate the provision of God through this year's bountiful harvest.

Today was a glorious sun-soaked autumn day, and warm.  The temperature climbed into the upper 70s.  I didn't need a coat.  I wore a sweater, but I barely needed that!

There were about 3,000,000 things to be thankful for today, but I'm just going to dwell on the day itself.  I'm thankful that today was a beautiful day!

My baby hydrangea bushes display lush blue blooms.  We just planted these in mid July, during a heat wave.  A miracle.

A friend brought me a pot of mums back in the spring.  I stuck them into the garden and here they are now!  Talk about a trick and a treat!

Looking west up the boulevard, eyes feast on deliciously rich colors, like butterscotch, caramel and cranberry.

Trees make me happy all year.  They are like black lace aganst the bue sky when their bare twigs stand stoic through the cold of winter.  In spring, they grow misty and green with new life.  Summer trees spread tall and kind, blessing us with shade.  And autumn trees whisper and  glow golden in the late afternoon sun.

The lake glistens on this Indian Summer day.  How could a person not be thankful in the midst of it all?