Beauty...that word is used a lot. When I think of something beautiful, I want to focus my mind on the Lord Himself, what He has made, what He has done, and what He will do. It is very easy to do that when you go outside on a day like this!

It is still hot here, especially if you are standing in the sun...but today I had the privilege of feeling a cool breeze blowing. Fall is on its way. We have had a light day of school today. My older children had piano lessons this morning and when I picked them up, I surprised them with news that we were going to eat lunch out today. So, we headed to our favorite old house that has been turned into a cozy, vintage style coffee house. It has old sofas,a big wooden porch with seating area, beaten up hard wood floors, an old chalk board for a menu...and we LOVE it! The newest add on to the place is a huge deck off to the side where one can enjoy eating outside. Today was a day where that was a must! We ordered our soups, sandwiches, and strawberry milk for the young ones and headed outside to enjoy the beauty of the day.

We prayed and enjoyed our meal. Aren't all of God's blessings great? Then the little ones wanted to play in the leaves in the grassy area nearby. It was then that the breeze came. We were standing in the shade and the wind picked up a little bit...the leaves were falling and the sun was bright. The children were laughing. It was a time of beauty. I thanked the Lord in my heart for all that he does for us. I thanked Him for this picture of beauty etched in my heart...which is is a glimpse of His true beauty. In reality, it was only a small piece of His beauty. You know, God has not revealed everything to us in His Word or in creation. There is so much beauty to the Lord that we can not see yet. He has not chosen to reveal it all to us...but one day, we will see all His glory. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

We then walked over to our local university...they have a beautiful front lawn area, shaded my many old huge trees. The walkways are curved throughout the beautifully landscaped area...the old buildings line the perimeter of the front lawn and stand so stately as students go about their hustle and bustle to class...while some relax on the big white swings that are scattered throughout the park. Some students are lying on quilts reading, while other students are passing the football. They all smile at us...probably because they don't see little children going through there very often.

Of course, my little ones found a big stack of leaves...they ran and jumped. I whispered to my 4 1/2 year old "Take a big stack of leaves over to Gracie and Abigail while they are swinging and throw them on their heads". This caused a bunch of giggles. This, also, began a leaf fight. How fun!!!

When I am reminded of what God has done...and what He will do, I know the only thing I can do is bow the knee. On a day like this, when the soft breeze blows, and the change of seasons is on its way, I thank God for His goodness, His Love, and His future grace.