The cooler air of morning greeted us as we opened the car door at the park at McNeil. Winnie sported her brand new burgundy colored halter with her pink lead and looked adorable running from place to place chasing real and imaginary critters. By the time we left the walking track, she was ready for a cool drink.
Now Winnie is napping in the sunshine while I sit down to write a bit. Usually Little Miss is vying for space on my lap while I try to balance her and my laptop, but the nice long walk has her all tuckered out.
We were in for quite the shock when we opened our water bill, and it was out the roof. My flowers and new grass have been beautiful, but quite expensive! Maybe we can slow down on it a bit since the temperatures have fallen to be more manageable, but still hot. I have found that the tag on plants that says full sun doesn’t usually apply to the brutal heat that August brings to our area, and most gardens get a little scraggly this time of year.
With that said, how wonderful that a cool front is struggling to make its way to the Deep South. Football fans, garden enthusiasts and everyone in between will relish those crisp, cool mornings and evenings when they finally do materialize.
Every now and again I have to take a step back and reprioritize the things I spend my time on. It took me many years to realize that every good and worthwhile thing wasn’t necessarily my thing. As a mother and grandmother, my family needs to be one of my top priorities. Sometimes prioritizing family means saying no to other good things.
From the time I was a very small child, when God’s voice was so easy to hear, I knew that I was called to write. For the words to flow onto the page I need a quiet spirit, and that comes by being still. The world is so very noisy and busy, and even good things can pull me away from the best thing.
I started to feel that I was getting too busy and needed to slow down and focus on what God has called me to. I began to pray about that. Not once or twice, but on three separate occasions within a few days, I read a verse, read a devotional and heard a preacher on TV that confirmed what God was speaking to my heart.
It amazes me that God cares so much about the details of our lives that He speaks so many times and in a variety of ways. I guess I sometimes wonder if my little scribblings make much of a difference, but as one of my devotionals said, “Use the gifts God has given you today. Don’t worry about what other people have. Recognize that what God has given you with His help goes further than you can imagine.”