The smoky sky hangs as a backdrop to water soaked trees, whose brilliance is fading. As if holding on for one more encore, the tree colors on the slimming bodies persist in transforming the gray day.  Yellow leaves waving in the small breeze say their final farewell, not ready to surrender to the somber scene.  Transitions in life are paradoxes, giving us a chance to hold and release, let go and welcome. 

What are you holding on to that you need to release? What do you want to welcome in your life?

The steel colored sky with deep blue brush strokes make a stunning backdrop to the multicolored foliage filling in the earth below.  The display of yellows greens and rusts seems endless, covering the land with a hairbrush texture rarely seen. The ground is communicating an eternal quality, while we know it is weeks from shifting again. A glimpse of eternity is enough to carry through the impending winter.

Where do you observe a glimpse of the eternal?

The pink hue rises above the trees, creating a silhouette of branches crowned below a empty expanse. It's as if there is a party just behind the tree line that's lighting up an otherwise dull day. A burst of colorful blooms close by nearly goes unnoticed. It reminds of how we imagine life to be better on the other side of wherever we are. The wonder inspires, but the view eclipses the beauty close at hand.

What is right at hand that you may be missing?

Peeking up across the tree lined horizon, are billows of clouds seen no where else in the bright blue morning sky. Thick and scattered they appear as a white mountain range mirroring the rusty green line just below. As the sun rises, their edges start to glow golden and capture the imagination of a land beyond. This seems to remind that daily life, as lovely as it is, holds a promise of more; of creative imagination, dreams, and potential that keeps us looking further out, past the limits of the known.

 What can you imagine today that you have never let yourself dream before? Take one of your dream and stretch it just a bit further.

The sun radiates with such brilliance across the trees and houses below, washing them out in a sea of white.  The windows reveal millions of specks of dust, dried droplets, and prints limiting the view beyond of the foggy horizon, where the treetops are masked by a misty sheen. There are times in our life when we cannot see clearly. By design or circumstance, we need clarity.  It's in these times that we turn to trusted eyes; and we learn to rely on the inner eyes of the heart, where God offers 20/20 vision. 

What needs clarity in your life right now? What would happen if you looked inward?

The golden pink drapes the shadowed clouds like brilliant jackets . As the majesty of the sun emerges with its crown of rays stretching across the morning sky, it demands attention. It's as if it's saying "look over here," with the most compelling beauty. The multilayered display of vapor stairs climbing upwards, are illuminated in ways that show endless complexity and curves, otherwise never noticed. This reminds that beauty and brilliance raise our eyes and fill us with an unexplained energy and hope. Turning away from the tranny of activity, and toward natural beauty can transform us in a supernatural way.

What beauty is around you that is calling for your attention? 

The robust clouds, shaded with gray, move across the sky in unified fashion, like a choreographed dance of a stage chorus. The sun is so bright the beam between the  windows is a welcome obstruction from the blinding rays. A bird sits like a soldier on duty, upon the rooftop across the street; a witness to this production that seems orderly and of no concern.  Yet, this is a lovely display of pageantry easily missed. The only way to see the movement is to sit completely still.  In life, we are so often occupied with activity, that we miss the meaningful changes that only quiet contemplation has eyes to perceive. 

What might you be missing in the rush of the day? What would getting completely still open up for you?

All across the concrete pavement are darkened imprints of leaves, blown from the trees,  with brown pods stuck to the surface from the dampness of the night.  The white-turned rusty-colored stains, reveal residue from the rough rains and shifting winds of a new season. Above, the birds cluster together, flying atop one another sacrificing pattern for company.  This initiation into fall reminds of how when changes come, scarring our familiar peace with unexpected shifts, the nearness of others brings the stable back to focus, and generates energy to fly into the coming season with strength.

Who brings stable energy in to your life? Who do you need to move closer to today?