Dear Reader:

I have a close friend who has been going through some of the most trying times of her life…so, of course, friends and family are calling and offering prayers…but actually I love what my friend says about her personal “prayers” ….she just converses with God each day.

I can think of no better definition for prayer than a ‘conversation with God.’  The more I thought about it…the more I realized that this is what I do too….unconsciously but quite easily. 

I can see a new bloom on a plant in the garden and get all excited…I find myself  looking around for someone to share my joy with and then hear myself whispering, “Look at that God…Have you ever seen anything that beautiful?”

I pause and then laugh….“Of course You have…You’re God….You created it and gave it to me as a gift and what a gift….thank You!”

I love just talking to God about life in general…though I am sure He must have to harbor as much patience as possible with me…like a parent of a two or three year old….”But WHY God?”  I ask the “Why?” questions constantly. 🙂

Still just being “Together” is my favorite place to be. And the nicest thing about having God as one’s friend…is that there is no place I visit or travel…that He isn’t already there. Quite convenient and comforting!

Even more comforting is the realization that I can love God with reckless abandon because I don’t have to fear not being loved in return.

This idea reminded me of a story from British author Hannah Hurnard in her bestseller Hind’s Feet on High Places...”The Message of the Narcissus.”

One day Hannah took a walk down a rather slippery slope which lead to a wooded area and a valley far below. Covering all three terrains were multitudes and multitudes of Narcissus (daffodils and jonquils.)

When Hannah stopped and stood among the flowers she made a fascinating discovery. They all, without exception, faced down the hill as if straining to see the valleys far below. They all leaned forward in their desire to see something in the distance that made them eternally happy.

While standing among the hundreds of daffodils…Hannah saw only their shiny white backs…but if she turned and looked up the slopes she noticed, among the multitudes of daffodils….“little faces, each with a gold crown in their hearts.” 

The message that went straight to her soul was beautiful, but not one she ever expected. The Narcissus spoke to her “Abandon yourself to loving because love is life and eternal joy. Love is the only thing that matters. Dare to be happy.”

So until tomorrow…

None of us should “settle” for living life marginally. Life is meant to be lived “BIG” with as much zest and gusto in it as we can discover. Accepting anything less is living an unfulfilled life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh 

Follow-up on the Harvest Moon….I must admit the moon last night didn’t seem to follow all the information written about it….Oh it was beautiful alright….but it took forever to show itself. 

I kept looking and looking….I thought it was supposed to appear early after the sunset so farmers could keep harvesting their crop by its light. Well last night…it would have been too dark to even find a pitchfork… much less use it. 

Around 8:00 I thought I caught a glimpse and followed it to the golf course…there in front of the pavilion, with an open area on the course minus trees,  it was slowly starting to rise. I tried taking shots with my iPhone but moons of this beauty are best remembered inside the head…not on an iPhone. As you can see in the grainy photo.

I was also a little disappointed that it was white and smaller than I thought it would be…wasn’t it supposed to  be huge with a yellowish tint…all paintings and some pictures of the Harvest Moon look golden…at least a little yellowish or orange-ish?

I was happy I saw it…but sometimes I would just rather climb into a beautiful painting or even my imagination with a huge yellow Harvest Moon in the background… and sit on a fence next to a red barn listening to cows moo their approval of the golden orb above them …and me. P.S.  Haystacks and pumpkins are delightful but optional! 🙂

Last evening should have been the Harvest Moon sighting…we had a beautiful sunset with red/orange tint, outlines of black scary looking trees, and the porch glowed as evening approached.