The Price of Fall

Angela and I were marvelling at the autumn colours last week as we drove along the highway. The woods were a kaleidoscope of colours, no two the same. It wasn’t hard to imagine Jack Frost painting each leaf individually.

One of the many things we missed during our time in Australia were the fall colours. As beautiful and gorgeous and wonderful (have I used enough adjectives yet?) as the weather was in Australia, and it was beautiful and gorgeous and wonderful, their trees didn’t change in the fall. To be truthful, I don’t think I ever truly appreciated the various hues that paint our forests until they weren’t there to see. That’s a sad reality of life as well—you don’t realize the good you have until you don’t have it anymore.

As much as I enjoy the fall scenery I don’t appreciate what it takes to make the leaves change—chilly fall mornings leave me cold, so to speak. That’s human nature though isn’t it? We never seem to want to pay the price, no matter how small. The great thing about the beauty of Heaven is that the price has already been paid, and all we have to do is claim it. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.  

Your Choice

I was part of democracy in action this week. Not only did I vote but I also worked on Election Day as the Central Poll Supervisor, which isn't nearly as important as it sounds.

Pretty good gig, all in all, I was paid by Elections Canada to welcome people to Cornerstone.  During those twelve hours I was able to make several observations about people as they voted.

Some people were visibly excited to have the privilege to vote while others it seemed were simply voting out of obligation, they felt they had to. There were those who were hardly behind the screen long enough to mark their ballots while others were obviously deep in thought or asleep.

What they all had in common was they had each been offered a gift, the right to vote, and they had accepted it.

Many others were offered the same gift and turned it down, for any number of reasons. Perhaps some thought they were too busy, others left it too long and ran out of time, some were disinterested and still others viewed the entire process with disdain. Bottom line: some people chose to vote and other chose not to vote, but it was their choice. Kind of reminds me of salvation. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.  

Slow Down

I saw a sign in a Doctor’s office once that had a profound effect on how I view life, and how I approach it in most cases.  The sign said, and I quote, “Don’t take life too seriously, because you’ll never get out of it alive!”  Deep?  Profound?  Have you stopped and smelled the roses today?  Have you slowed down a little bit from the rush to just enjoy life?  Too busy?  Too much to do?  You’d better do your best to enjoy life ‘cause you aren’t going to get out of it alive.

“You don’t understand how busy I am, Denn!”  No, I probably don’t but I do know that we often allow the urgent to take precedence over the important. 

There are some things that are universally important, or at least should be, and so we need to ask, “Are you spending enough time with your family?  With your God?  With yourself?”  and for that last one, I don’t mean working, I mean enjoying your own company, reflecting on who you are and how you can be better as a person

Why not take a little time today and find a rose to smell, a sunset to watch or a pond to dip your feet in!  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.