your joy is mine.

Wow, November! How did you get here? 

My entire backyard is currently a sea of yellow, orange and brown leaves. I love it! B taught me a game where you try and catch leaves as the season comes and goes. I have caught three. The spontaneous spurts of effort to catch a leaf in mid fall is hilarious. The first two leaves I caught, D was walking with me and we would be in the middle of a deep conversation and all of a sudden I am running away and struggling to catch the leaf's fall pattern. The most epic attempt at catching a leaf was this past saturday. The leaf I had caught previously seemed to be falling in slow motion, I had time to notice the white sky, and the river underneath me, then bam, I caught the leaf with out much effort. The next leaf I wasn't even expecting. My two friends and I walked away from the basketball court and they pointed out the leaf and enthusiastically encouraged me to catch it. If you know me, you know I love a challenge. I began sprinting and did a hurdle over a man made sand box and did a side flip, only to just miss the leaf. I didn't even have time for disappointment because of the intensity of it all. Yes, I need random excitements in my day to day life, and leaf catching is one of them. Oh yeah a big lesson I finally learned about this season while trying to catch leaves; is the essence of why we call this season "fall." The leaves are falling! I know what a revelation; it is like I always knew that it happened but now all of sudden I felt part of the season as I enjoyed the massive amount of leaves falling from the trees. 

I never thought I would write more than a paragraph just on the art of catching leaves, but I am enjoying nature that God intended for me to enjoy. Thank you God for allowing leaves to die, change color, and fall. I thank you that you will also fill the trees again with more leaves once spring comes back. 

The love I have for my nephew is so huge. I can't imagine the love I will have for my own children. It is like every time I spend time with him, I realize how amazing of a little man he is. He is full of life, curiosity, smiles and chuckles. When I start to make him chuckle, I will do whatever it is, over and over because he is just so stinking cute. He melts my heart. One of the most beautiful thing about this little boy is how he can tell the difference between real crying and fake crying. He has seen me cry on various occasions, especially as I share my heart with my sister. His massive eyes lock with mine. This time as he stares at me it is not with his laughing eyes or his curious eyes, but with his compassionate eyes. He is one of my most favorite people in this entire world and I can't wait to see him grow and grow because I love him so. 

It is amazing how after writing my thoughts that seem so tiny can really ignite the joy that is inside of me.    Even when it is hard I choose Jesus. Even when joy seems distant, I grab hold of it. Jesus is a living God and he walks with me today and everyday.