Jeremiah 5:24 –They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’

Gratitude Day 857

Can you believe it?

It’s November in just a few days.

Can I please place a call into Fall and ask where it went?

Seriously, I now totally appreciate the saying that the days go by more quickly as one ages. Yep, I guess I am seriously old now that I typed out this saying.

It has been a lovely fall where Hubby Rick and I live. The yellow and orange leaves turned early. And held on for quite a while. Finally, about 10 days ago, the reds popped out and wow!! So dang beautiful! Quite breathtaking at times.

After a season of summer that felt a bit full, the last couple of weeks have been more manageable. This is how life is. Some seasons are just more demanding than others. While it was all good, I am appreciating a bit more margin in my life right now. And it is good.

Yet, there are always lessons and opportunities to grow in every season of our lives. Today, I’m sharing  seven things that I have learned this fall and am appreciating in my life.

Be more present in you being than in your doing.

Let me explain. Too often, we put so much energy in our doing that our being gets only our leftovers, when we have them. I have struggled my entire life with trying to manage both doing and being. For decades, I only focused on doing. It was only after years of struggling with this that I began to embrace the idea that being is just as important.

But here’s the struggle. I STILL often find myself wanting to focus more of my time and energy on the doing than on the being. Yes, I’m slowly improving with this. But as a dyed-in-the-wool doer, it’s not easy to shift.

What am I discovering about the being and doing tension these days? Forget about being perfect with your doing. It will never happen. There will always be more things to do. Instead, allow your being to be the safety net that sustains you in your life. I am far from getting this right. But I am slowing trying to remember my best self comes out of when I let myself be with God and myself than constantly being an engine of doing.

Breaks are important.

I have definitely noticed my capacity to keep going and going is changing as I get a little older. Therefore, giving myself breaks are So. Important. We need time to recoup. Recharge. Let ourselves have fun. In fact, I support the idea of when we let ourselves have little breaks, we are actually more productive and creative afterwards.

Case in point. I was struggling with something yesterday. So, I laced up my running shoes and went out for 20+ minute run. I just need to activate a different area of my brain. Stop dwelling on this. Let myself focus on something else for a bit. After the run? I was ready to tackle what had been a chore. Now, it felt more manageable.

Let life be imperfect.

As a person who thrives on having things in order, this can be a challenge. I know that I am not perfect. I have plenty of warts! Yet, order is something I strive for and totally appreciate. I am trying to let things be a bit messier these days; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It’s OK if something is nicely taken care of or done. Sometimes good enough is the best that I can do. I’m trying to let myself be OK with this.

For example – look at the fall sign. See the crocked letter? Imagine me walking by this sign every day and letting the letter remain crooked. Progress, I hope!

It’s OK to be stretched.

A few months ago, a very unexpected project came my way. I wasn’t sure if I was fully qualified to be involved in this project, but I accepted the opportunity. Well, it’s been a blessing. I’m doing something that I didn’t ever expect to do. I’ve met some new people that I would have never engaged with had I not accepted this project. When the time is right, I’ll share more about this project. My point? Be open to new things, no matter what your age is. I believe God had a hand in this. It’s the only way my involvement in this project would have ever happened.

Appreciate bounty when it happens.

We have a very dry summer. And yet, our garden totally outdid itself! We’ve had tomatoes and peppers coming out of our ears. Literally. I have given away more tomatoes than ever. And pumpkins! Who would have ever known! I bought one little pumpkin plant at a greenhouse. Brought it home and Hubby Rick planted it. It produced 25 pumpkins! That’s right. All from one plant. And yes, some of them were decent sized!  We’ve been giving away pumpkins and I will use some in worship tomorrow. At times, the bounty has almost felt like too much but it truly has been a blessing.

Try Strawberry Butter.

I know. It sounds a little crazy but BELIEVE ME! It’s fantastic! We had brunch at our house last weekend. Our grandkids give strawberry butter two thumbs up! It’s so good on waffles or pancakes that I’m not sure you need syrup. And it’s super easy to make. Here’s how: beat a stick of room temperature butter until it is fluffy. Then, add 3-4 TBSP of strawberry jam, 1 TBSP at a time. You can add as much or as little as you want. Spread generously on anything you want. YUM!!

So, take a minute and think about some things that YOU have learned this fall. I would love to hear something that you are enjoying, relearning or exploring. This is how we encourage each other! I pray that in my sharing, you’ll stop and discover something that has been meaningful in this season of your life.

Want some inspirational fall quotes? Here you go.

For the opportunity to grow in each season of my life, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Most Loving God – thank you for providing me opportunities to discover new things. Explore areas I never imagined. Help me become the person you yearn for me to be. May I appreciate all the colorful things You bring into my life. Amen.

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