Random Tuesday #15 - Autumn leaves and calmness


Autumn (Fall) is my favourite season.  The days are usually sunny and warm with cool to cold nights. Perfect weather for sitting outside and watching the world go by and cozying up under a throw with a book in the evening. The best of both worlds. On Sunday morning (after driving my son to work) I sat outside and read for a while. The birds were singing and I could hear the flutter of leaves as they fell to the ground. It was all rather perfect and ever so peaceful in this crazy noisy world. 

It is so hard to believe that it is April already. It hurts my head just thinking about how fast this year has gone. I am not the only one to comment on the speed and wonder how one can slow down the days.  I don't really know how to make the days go slower, they seem to move at a greater pace than ever before without me doing anything in particular. Perhaps it is the instant society that I wrote about yesterday, it simply doesn't want us to slow down. 

We are on a super-highway that doesn't have a slow lane. Have you ever got to the end of the day and your head is still bussing from the days activities? It isn't good for us mentally or physically and we do need to find a way to STOP.

Interestedly, the bible is full of verses about being still and quiet that are even more relevant today than ever before. Sitting in my garden just listening to the silence is therapeutic in it's self. But as a society, we aren't very good at listening to silence anymore, we just can't handle it. We seem to have a need to fill the silence with noise: the television up loud, playing noisy music, phones ringing,  loud conversations, rushing about — it can be rare to hear nothing at all.  Sitting quietly in silence is no longer valued, our society only seems to value busyness and activity and as a result it can no longer hear God and turns up the volume to block Him out. 

“Be still, and know that I am God”—Psalm 46:10

I hope you get the opportunity to sit quietly today and allow the silence to wash over you.

xxx



"I cannot endure to waste anything
so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying  in the house."

 ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~


My garden is full of colour at the moment, I wanted to share all these beautiful Autumn leaves with you. 




"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all"

~ Stanley Horowitz ~


"How beautifully leaves grow old. 
How full of light and colour are their last days."

~ John Burroughs ~


"Fall has always been my favourite season. 
The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, 
as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale"

~ Lauren DeStefano ~





Charlie and the stone gorilla.
(yes, my husband bought it for me many years ago for one of my birthdays!!)



For words of encouragement to start your day and a place of calmness, check out my Facebook page: LINK


Comments

  1. It's funny... this morning my devotional was making a point about this being still instead of rushing about, too! It's all around me at the moment... I think the Lord is trying to remind me to take time to be restful rather than always rushing about. I'll share a bit of what my devotional said as I think you'll appreciate it. The devotional title is "Slow it down":
    "Have you ever noticed that Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry? We never see Him hustling from place to place or doubling up His schedule after running behind. We never see Him *running* anywhere, for that matter. But we do see Him walking. We see Him seated by a well in Samaria and sitting down to teach His disciples. We read of Him reclining at meals and sleeping in the hull of a storm-tossed boat.
    "When you think about it, hurry is simply not Christlike.
    "And more often than not, hurry is the enemy of spiritual intimacy. It is a pace of life that is seldom conducive to godliness, to relationships, to marriage, to anything that ultimately matters to us.
    "So, it's not surprising - though a world apart from the harried, breathless mindset we so often exhibit - to learn that the Lord would want to lead us to "green pastures" and "still waters" (waters of rest). For like sheep, we don't know when we need to rest. Left to ourselves, we'll just keep going until we fall down from exhaustion. And yet the more hurried our pace, the less we will truly experience our "shepherd." He knows that we can't cultivate godly character and affections when we're constantly on the run... Intimacy with God (and with others) requires time, stillness, waiting, and focused attention."

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    1. Thankyou for sharing this :)) It sums it up perfectly :))

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  2. Love the photos!
    I don't revel in the thought of colder weather coming, but it can be beautiful to see the autumn colours.
    Love,
    Bets

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    1. The leaves here are just beautiful but I do find it sad when all the leaves drop as if the end of an era. Each season here has it's own beauty, even winter - might be cold but the days are often beautiful and clear and perfect for walks (if rugged up).

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  3. Thank you Jo for sharing this great post with us at Good Morning Mondays. Beautiful pictures and a beautiful point. Blessings

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    1. Thanks :))) It feels like winter is here now and we have quickly skipped over Autumn.

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  4. Lovely colors. It's amazing how just getting outdoors can be so invigorating and breath life into you.

    I've pinned your post, thanks for sharing at #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup ...hope to see you again this week!

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    1. I work in an office all day and it makes my head feel funny after a while. I often go for a walk just to get some fresh air and to clean the head - it really does make all the differences.

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