Contentment by design - Living - Places photo #1149

My heart has been overwhelmed lately with everything that is happening in our world, our country, and even in our local life. This morning I took a walk along the beautiful way I have wandered a thousand times before. It's an amazing experience to walk somewhere like that: in some ways everything is familiar, yet I almost always see some things with fresh eyes. We're right on the verge of autumn: some trees and bushes are turning, and there already are some yellow leaves rustling underfoot. Yet many trees and bushes are still vibrantly green. The sun is getting lower in the sky, so it is gentler. At one point, I stopped at a favorite place where I can look out across the valley through which South St. Vrain Creek flows to the hills and sky beyond. Because the sun is lower, the near side of the valley was in shade, but the trees along the creek and the hills beyond glowed in the sunshine, and the sky above was a beautiful blue. It was so good for my heart to gaze out at this gorgeous view.

Another thing that soothed my heart was a favorite Virginia creeper vine. All summer long, its leaves are the same green as the tree it winds its way up, so it is almost indistinguishable from the tree. Then in autumn, its leaves turn the most beautiful, vibrant, deep red, so that it is glowing within its host tree.