October Mornings

When I stepped outside early one morning,  October seemed to breathe.
A mist curled off the eaves of the house,
and off the striped chairs in the yard.
The sun had just risen, and the vapor that rose into the early light
caught the day's newness.
The gleaming gray fog seemed the freshest thing in the world.

I don't get out into the yard the way  I used to.
Mornings are the best time for gardening, but now a baby needs tending.
My gardens are a mess.
Weeds are thick in the flowerbeds,
and yesterday I found the entire row of chard had been mown down by deer.
I was going to harvest that chard and use it all winter in soups and stews.
 
These weeks have been so warm that I'm not making anything with squash and pumpkins.
They're starting to go bad, and fruit flies have been multiplying.
Some of the labors of summer are going to waste.
I can't abide waste.

But I do love these sunny autumn days.
We know what's coming.
Every Minnesota winter feels like punishment
by the time we reach the end of it.

One of my favorite bloggers, Summer Harms (in my sidebar),
just wrote about pleading God's promises.
I think a crucial part of that is to plead His promises in the morning.
Our mornings determine our mindset for the day ahead.
As I stumble into each day, exhausted and depleted before it begins,
I need coffee and a bit of time for my head to clear.
The best way I've found is to start the day with a song.

Of course I love the written Word,
and on dozens of difficult days,
my husband and I have read Scripture out loud.
Those words linger in the air,
a blessing and a rampart.

But as the day begins,
I cover myself with the Word through music.
One of my favorites is "Great is Thy Faithfulness."
Another is "How Firm a Foundation."
I love the revival song "Praise the Savior."
I let these words run through my head all day.
I need every shield, every rampart I can get.

Yesterday my friend Amanda posted the lyrics to "Day by Day."
Remember that song? The melody is lovely.
"Day by day, and with each passing moment,
strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in the Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure,
mingling toil with peace and rest."

I count it one of my greatest joys that I know these old songs.
They give me strength and remind me of truth.


Here are a few pictures from our Saturday foray to Berry Hill Farm.
Julia was home!
She kept exclaiming over her baby brother,
"Oh my WORD. Oh my LANDS!"
It was so fun to watch her delight in him.

A wild-eyed pony.

Daddy and Malachi.

Eating a honeycrisp apple.

Walking through the maze.

Malachi shared his honeycrisp, a very kind thing to do.

Berry Hill Farm is located in Burns Township, just north of Ramsey.
We love going there. At this time of year they have pumpkins, apples, tractor rides, a maze, farm animals, and a friendly fear-free autumn atmosphere.

From Lamentations 3:22-24
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to  myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.'"