Beautiful

As I drove down a stretch of NC highway toward Chapel Hill (Blue Heaven--by the way) on Saturday, the canvas of color just took my breath away. Did the trees turn those vibrant shades of yellow, red and orange over night, or have I just been too busy to notice? Yesterday I soaked it in the reflection of those amazing colors in a pond as I sat by a fire at my friend's farm .

This time of year is my favorite--but maybe I say that at the beginning of each new season. I really do love the seasons.

I love the crisp, cool mornings, the stunning colors and the smoke in the air of fall.

I love to wake up to one of those rare, white, snowy mornings of winter in NC.

I love the crocuses poking up their cheerful heads, cherry trees blooming and little kids riding their tricycles down my sidewalk in spring.

And I love digging my toes in the sand while my big boys swim in the ocean and nieces and nephews build sand castles during the long, hot, humid summer.

Isn't God glorious? It amazes me that though He could have created the world in a very utilitarian way, He chose to make it indescribably beautiful. When one season would have done, He created four with nuances unique in each part of the world. When one butterfly species could have pollinated our flowers, He made 17,000 species of every color in the paint palate. And then He created a world of people (especially women) who would appreciate each brush stroke.

Beautiful, simply beautiful.