A couple of years ago, on the way to a church conference, my family and I decided to stop at an observation area high on a mountain, just east of Staunton, Virginia. We had been traveling for portions of two days, navigating the mountains, valleys, and unbelievably curvy terrain of interstate 64 as we wove our way from Illinois to Richmond. The trip had drained us, and we were ready for a short season of rest. Fog and mist settled on the mountain just above our lookout point. The forest and ferns all around us were brilliant with early autumn color. Huge boulders lined the cliff that served as an observatory to the valley below us. To put it mildly, the day was beautiful.
We stayed for a while, soaking in the atmosphere, taking advantage of the foresight of Virginia's highway and transportation planners. Apparently, someone realized that travelers get weary and need to rest. Thankfully, they placed a rest area in a spot conducive to quiet, tension-free relaxation.
I have thought about that little moment quite a bit of late. It was nothing really, just a half hour of stretching and recharging as we viewed landscape we had conquered. We saw a bear cub, took some pictures, marveled at beauty, then hopped back in our minivan and resumed our trip to Richmond. But somehow, without knowing it, our family cemented a memory, and that memory is something we share and mention frequently.
Life is like that. Important moments come to us unexpectedly. Moments that become small bricks in the structure of our lives.
And when the air becomes crisp, and the leaves begin to turn, sweet memories of those small joys rustle around in my head. I think of the excited chatter of my teenage daughter at the local high school football game, the feigned surprise of my wife when I bring fall flowers home to her, and all the sights, smells, and sounds of the season.
Here's hoping this autumn allows you time for quiet reflection.
Rest.
Peace.
Multicolored memories.
"Autumn is therefore a season of reflection and self-reckoning, a season of joy, a season of melancholy, of thanksgiving, of foreboding, of falling leaves of golden harvests, of transparent skies, and of gathering storms. It is, beyond question, the most obliging season of the four, readily adjusting itself to every mood. Autumn will laugh with you, muse with you, dream with you, walk in triumph with you, move at a melancholy pace, or sit and weep with you upon a mossy stone as you reckon up the dead and gone. Autumn misses nothing in the grand scale of human expression, being strong with the strong, weak with the weak, and fearful with the timid." Appletons' Journal, page 441
You wrote this so well PP that I feel like I had a small little 'reflection' break as well. There's just something about seeing the majestical beauty that God created that brings such peace and calm to our harried lives.
Thank you!
p.s. have you tried the new Fall forum skin? It's like a mini break every day!
You wrote this so well PP that I feel like I had a small little 'reflection' break as well. There's just something about seeing the majestical beauty that God created that brings such peace and calm to our harried lives.
Thank you!
p.s. have you tried the new Fall forum skin? It's like a mini break every day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by determined
Multicolored memories.
I like that! God has blessed me with beautiful muticolored memories throughout my life.
While on our college tour for my oldest, we almost died on that "curvy" stretch of beautiful but dangerous highway. We were on our way to UVA after dark and a tremendous storm erupted and I could not see 100 yards in front of me and there was no place I felt safe to pull off so I just drove and prayed... and that was BEFORE I came back to God!
Nahum 
We were on our way to UVA after dark and a tremendous storm erupted and I could not see 100 yards in front of me and there was no place I felt safe to pull off so I just drove and prayed... and that was BEFORE I came back to God! 
Hybrid Mode
