517. Autumn: “The season for enjoying the fullness of life…” ~Denis Waitley

by

28

Autumn, the year’s last,
loveliest smile.
~William Cullen Bryant

Screen shot 2014-10-14 at 3.08.48 PM

And what an absolutely lovely smile it is! Earth is the only planet in the universe that’s just the right distance from the sun to support life as we know it, and by its 23 and a half degree tilt, the seasons are created, seasons that change as the result of wind, rain, fire, and ice. I think autumn smiles because it knows that its predecessors will come again and again to bring days of glory born in their reign back to fall’s domain. At the end of a great, BBC-made Disney movie called EARTH, the narrator, speaking with an appropriate sense of wonder and awe, makes the following statement, “Earth is full of harsh realities, but sometimes it’s just paradise.” And so it is! When our planet is seen in that light, one can’t help but realize the captivating majesty and goodness that Adam saw and that can still be seen today. When seasons are observed closely on a day to day basis or the opening verses of Ecclesiastes’ third chapter are read, mortals understand that everything, even harsh realities, has a season and purpose in God’s Creation. So it is that now the corners of fall’s mouth are already turning up and soon the season will spread into a grand and broad smiling face that brings an end only to the span of a single year.

  There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8   ✝

**Image via Pinterest

28 thoughts on “517. Autumn: “The season for enjoying the fullness of life…” ~Denis Waitley”

  1. I’ve tried many paths to God in my lifetime; many churches, many books, many sermons, but it was nature that showed me that there was no other way to explain the beautiful, intricate mysteries I saw unfolding before me each day. Nature took me out of myself and introduced me to God.

    Like

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you told me this. My faith journey was derailed for many, many years and though I tried and others tried to get me back on track, nothing much was working to that end. But I never really lost my belief in God. Then one day I was out working in the garden and had music playing close by. It was a classical piece and when a pause occurred, the wind chime over my head hit a perfect note to fill that space and I laughed out loud and asked the Lord if he’d wanted to be in the orchestra that day. And I felt His Presence so tangibly. Anyway as silly as it may seem that and nature (specifically my developing garden) was what started my faith journey going again. That was over 20 years ago, and now I’ve found a fabulous church and devotional that keep me loving the Lord more and more every day. If you ever get a chance, pick up a copy of CALLING JESUS by Sarah Young and read about her in the introduction and them read some of her daily devotional entries. I think you might enjoy it. I’m so glad nature took you out of yourself and introduced you to God. He is soooooo good and He loves you very much. There really is no other way to explain the intricate and beautiful mysteries that unfold in a garden. Sometimes I just stand and look and cry at the exquisite things I see. And then thanking Jesus is the only way I can express my gratitude for the gifts I behold. Also, I had a stroke nearly two years ago, and my family was told that if the clots were not removed from my brain, I would die, and the surgery to remove the clots might also end my life. But the surgeon was successful and not only were the clots removed, but I have NO residual physical or mental handicaps from the stroke. My family and church prayed for a miracle and I’m the living, walking, breathing recipient of that miracle. I praise God for my miracle and for the miracle that opened the path to Him for you. Blessings, Natalie 🙂 ❤

      Like

      Reply

      • It sounds like we both have a lot to be thankful for. I’m so glad that you’ve had no ill effects from the stroke. That does indeed seem miraculous! I often feel gratitude when I’m out on the trails. Not for anything specific-just for being. Take care.

        Like

  5. That was beautiful, so well thought out and touched with so much gratitude and emotion. You write in a way that touches me greatly – and the quotes that you “quote” are always wondrous and perfectly sewn into your words. You are such a breath of fresh air to me. 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

    Like

    Reply

    • Why thank you, sweetums! You’re making me blush with all your kind words tonight. You’ve blown through my life like a breath of fresh air as well, Kimberly. Thanks for sharing you life and thoughts with me. Much love and huge, huge hugs, N 🙂 ❤ 🙂 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • I’m sleepy, so my chatty, never shut up ways escape me at the moment hehe … leaving me with but only one way to respond ((((((((((hugs))))))))))). Gigantic love and gratitude to you. May you sleep well and deeply tonight.

        xoxoxoxoxo Kimba The White Lion. 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

        Like

      • Me too, sweetie pie. I’m headed into to go beddy by too.:) I pray you rest well and have sweet ooh la la dreams!<3 Huge, huge hugs and much love to you as well, White Lioness! MUAH ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

        Like

  7. Nature is God’s gift to us. I love just listening to the birds, watching the sunrises and sunsets and even the way the daisies triumph over the lawn mower. Everything is wonderful when you look for it. 😍

    Like

    Reply

    • I found this today in my spam file. I have no idea why it went there, but I’m glad I found it. Yes, nature is God’s gift to us as well as His voice. You enjoy it as much as I do, Raewyn. Hugs, N 🙂 ❤

      Like

      Reply

  9. Oh, I love this one Natalie. I’m going to have to watch that documentary about the Earth you mentioned. I love the idea of Autumn being the Earth’s last smile. REally wonderful indeed.
    🙂 ❤

    Like

    Reply

  10. After reading the opening verses of the ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 what can I say ?
    Poor my words next to the Grandeur of God,next to the Power of Nature …
    Thank God I can read Natalie’s posts that help me to Hymn your Wisdom and the absolute Order of our Universe !
    Blessings and Love ❤ to you Natalie Dear :)))))) xxx

    Like

    Reply

  12. This was the perfect moment for reading this.

    Yesterday or the day before I was scrolling here, and the lovely picture caught my eye, but something else also grabbed my attention, so I didn’t take the time to read this. Earlier today I was actually thinking about the Ecclesiastes 3, and actually mentioned it to a friend on the phone less than an hour ago. Then I came here to read some more and saw this.

    Smiling autumn…I never thought of it that way.

    Hugs and blessings,
    Theresa

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.