Fall is my favorite time of the year… The weather just a bit crisp in the morning as Bailey and I take our walk:  Sweatshirt or Columbia fleece a must.

As I cleaned out the garden this morning I was both happy and a bit sad.  Happy because Bailey and I were out in the crisp cool air enjoying nature.  And sad to think of the garden’s demise for another year.  It’s always peaceful and calm in the garden.

As I clipped and raked out the withered and dried out vines from our ” very successful” pumpkin crop this year and noted how miserably the jalapeno peppers and tomatoes did in retrospect after a huge crop in 2015, I contemplated on life and what makes produce and people thrive and be successful.

First of all, I thought about space.  Everything needs “enough” space to thrive, grow and be a success (appropriate amount of space to spread and grow in the case of plants, physical and quiet life in the case of humans).  While plants and their space needs are obvious, we are not always so understanding of our human family and their needs for space and silence.  As an intuitive introvert I hope I am always aware of another’s need for these but know that is probably not always the case, simply because I’m human.  Sometimes when there is silence we tend to chatter and try to fill up the silence with unnecessary talk when in reality, the silence is more critical than noise. Actually, I do my best internal creativity and growth when I am alone in the silence, usually during a mundane task totally unrelated to what suddenly comes to me as inspiration and need.

Driving in the car with Dean through the Black Hills and rolling fields of sunflowers, alone the North Shore of Lake Superior, walking on the sandy beach in Florida, floating on our plastic rafts in the swimming pool during our vacations, the silence is often not only enough but essential and we both “kind-of”, “most of the time” know when to just be quiet and watch and listen to the world around us.

Second, plants need the glow of light and warmth from the sun, and we as humans need light and the glow of happiness and joy to thrive… enough said on this one.  But we often forget that plants also need water and the rain, and humans need some sadness to grow and become more than we are, to understand each others’ pain and sadness.

And most importantly, we need to surround ourselves with the right world.  A world that encourages growth and learning (as plants and humans) in order to thrive.  As human’s we need to be surrounded by people who care and say the right things, who notice when we do awesome stuff, who notice when we help others, who notice our kindness and care of others.

And then we grow, we become and we evolve into who and what we are meant to be in this world.

So as I cleaned the garden this morning, with these random thoughts appearing in my mind about life and growing in grace.  I thanked God for his many blessings and the gracious and beautiful life that is mine today.  I thanked God for Bailey, my constant companion.  And I thanked God for all of my people… those in my family and all of my friends.

I especially thought of Jordan Wallace because today is her 18th birthday.  She is my god-daughter and Dean’s granddaughter.  She has been a huge part of our lives over the years although time with her is rare now as she has grown.  I looked for pictures to paste on Facebook.  I thought of all the times we had together over the years.  The day we went sledding … our annual trips to the Mall of America to celebrate her birthdays … building sand castles on the beach in North Carolina.  Too many times to post all the pictures, but lots of time as I cleaned out the garden to think about her on this day.

And I thought about Richard, (Thia’s father)  favorite saying  which has now become mine, simply because I’ve claimed it as mine…

“You only live once and if you work it right, that’s enough!”

Bailey and I enjoyed our time outside this morning.  Lots happening in the mind and in my physical world.  What a beautiful day it is here.  ENJOY!