Photo Opportunity

Beautiful day, autumn colors blaze and dominate gorgeously, blue sky frames the season I love.

Loveliness soothes. Not thoroughly but enough to take the edge off and offer a relaxed countenance, a smiling face.

Driving led me to a hilltop park where the view of my town spread out before my dripping eyes. Healing tears. Contemplation. Prayers. "Help me, God."

Heading home revealed blessings of life, moving photographs, lovely scenes of vitality, of every day, of assurances that life carries on perfectly in imperfection. An old woman bent like a yard decoration cuts dead flowers away while her hugging-himself husband watches contentedly under a royal blue baseball cap from a chair in the garage. A tiny, blonde girl, squats and cheerfully strokes the pumpkins on her sunny front porch. A black cat curled like a Halloween silhouette crouches near a colorful raised flower bed. A lanky, insouciant, flannel-shirted teen, ankles and arms crossed leans against a trailered motorboat on the front lawn, jaunty hat askew. A kitten pounces and vigorously plays with a crunchy, skittering leaf in the street.

All is as it should be.

I grow stronger in my spirit from carrying a burden not mine. "Bear one another's burdens."

I grow closer to my sisters as we share woman thoughts, daughter hearts, longings, joys, sorrows, faith.

I grow wiser as I feel the hurt meant to demoralize actually prove to me that, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." Patient trusting settles the heart. God knows. He reminds me that those who malign may mean it for evil but God means it for good.

I grow fonder of people far away who once were near, I grow peaceful knowing that God removes obstacles for them, I grow happy that they are - at last - happy.

Comfort for today.