[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, October 19, 2013

[Paul]

Well folks, here it is an early Saturday afternoon as I write this, but perhaps it's still morning or evening as you read this.  I hope and pray that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that your day is going well, about to begin or about to end.

Today we complete our trilogy of articles on fall or autumn, unless I can find more.  Now I don't know what type of literature it's called that you will soon be reading, but the title by an unknown author is simply called "Autumn." What he/she did was to write the word "autumn" in large capital letters and then describe a particular aspect of the season in ordinary letters, and so on till the article's ending.  Anyway it's rendered as follows:

AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR SEEING

The glory of living color; the red and gold of hills and dales; the multicolored corn peeping from the shock; the orange of fine pumpkins; the delicate white lace of frost traced on the windowpanes; brown pinecones nestled in the green of pines; scarlet bittersweet berries; purple grapes; the gold of a harvest moon and Jack-o-lanterns with amber lights.  It is a time for seeing witches, goblins, ghosts, and skipping gnomes, and Mother making jam and jelly.

AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR HEARING

Wind that drums a tune on rooftops; the whirring wings of startled quail; the chatter of squirrels hiding nuts away; school bells, school buses, and school lessons.  It is a time for hearing the crackle of hay as kittens cuddle down in nests for warmth; the turn of grinders making apple cider; the fiddle playing at the harvest dance; the call of highways leading to fall panoramas; and happy songs ringing around campfires.

AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR TASTING

Tantalizing pumpkin and mince pies; rich, crunchy nuts; boxed school lunches; fall banquets; and lamplit family dinners.  It is a time for tasting trick-or-treat candy, Thanksgiving turkey, and new recipes gathered from the girls at the church supper.

AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR SMELLING

The smoke of Indian summer and burning leaves; the fragrance of chrysanthemums; the pungent pine in fireplaces; the musky odor of foliage in damp woodlands; the spicy air of kitchens; sweet clover in haylofts; and that strange, illusive aroma that tells the person close to nature that the first snow is on the way.

AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR TOUCHING

Dreams of hand and heart and gathering their reality; the ripened grain; the gratified shining vision; the luscious peach and apple; hope for tomorrow; the realization of the goodness of friends, family, and God.  It is a time for touching the coins of labor and love and the edge of infinity, the time we come to know in grateful hearts that in this hour of reaping we have again harvested golden fruits of a living faith and its abundant fulfillment.

And there you have it.  Although I'm not completely certain of this, the author seems to be quite familiar with rural life and perhaps, when he/she wrote this piece, that either there was a nostalgic look back at farm life or the author him/herself still lives on a farm.

Before I close this message, I want to thank all those who have and will wish this compiler a happy birthday.  And, since it is my birthday, I just might regress into being a newborn baby.  In addition to baby bottles with formulae, maybe some of you can provide me with some of that delicious Gerber baby food to digest.  After all, I'm a growing little boy.  Besides, if I get enough baby bottles with formulae and Gerber baby food, maybe I'll still be young at age 80 or 90, if the Lord allows me to live that long.

And now until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought message will be posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout these last days in which we live.  Your widdle baby boy, Wah Wah Paul