Things I’ve Learned in October

1) Three Great Thoughts from Three Great Books

• Every Bitter Thing is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things” –  Sara Hagerty

“ Adoration makes walking with God more than just reacting to a series of externals. Adorations call the circumstances, no matter how high or low, into proper submission in our hearts. Adoration roots us in a reality that no amount of pain and no amount of blessing can shake. Adoration steadies us. It repatterns our thinking…adoration aligns us under Him. This is the place where life is found..”

**This book is Sara Hagerty’s biographical and faith journey through some hard places in her own life – one being difficulty conceiving – and how God weaves His threads of grace through challenging circumstances. Finding life in unexpected places. Rich writing, rich truths – Sara’s book is gold.

•  “Speak Love: Making Your Words Matter” – Annie F. Downs

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become action.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” (Pastor Mark Fritchman)

**I’m new to the writing of Annie F. Downs and I see why she is a popular speaker and author. She speaks powerfully about our thoughts, our words – beautiful truths in this book.

• “The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful” – Myqyillyn Smith
  
  

**Well, I’m the Nester’s latest fan (better late than never, right?). There is so much sweet and lovely to say about this book. Somehow, Myquillyn takes the subject of our homes and brings it straight into our hearts. She ‘gets’ me – she makes me believe the impossible – I don’t have to be perfect – inside and out! Thank you for this message and this book.

2) Doing Any ‘Thing’ Daily is a Challenge!

Well, I began October blogging daily with the Write31Day challenge. OK, it was a challenge. I did write 15 consecutive days of the 31 days, then, I realized I was getting quite stressed and gave myself grace to take an early end for this year’s challenge.

All this reminds me of how difficult daily habits are to maintain. We are approaching the New Year and, subsequently, the resolutions that often accompanying it. This year, I want to shake up my never-written-down list. Do something different. My dad had a saying that often comes to mind:

“If it’s not working – change your strategy.” I’m still figuring this out…

3) One Obvious Lesson of October – Nature Wears Fall Well.

She is resplendent in beauty.

Today, I offer a wee science fact for Geek and Science wanna-be’s, like me.

My topic – Why leaves fall? Would a better name be “Get Off Me” season?

**If you already know the answer – I’d say you are a certified geek, and way past wanna-be status, or a teacher (homeschool or otherwise) – because teacher’s know everything! For the rest of you, here goes…

“We call this season the “fall” because …

when a stiff breeze comes along, those leaves seem to “fall” off, thus justifying the name “fall.” Sounds reasonable, no? …

According to Peter Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and a renowned botanist, the wind doesn’t gently pull leaves off trees. Trees are more proactive than that. They throw their leaves off. Instead of calling this season “The Fall,” if trees could talk they’d call this the

“Get Off Me” season. Here’s why.

Around this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, as the days grow shorter and colder, those changes trigger a hormone in leaf-dropping trees that sends a chemical message to every leaf that says, in essence, “Time to go! Let’s part company!”

Once the message is received, says Raven, little cells appear at the place where the leaf stem meets the branch. They are called “abscission” cells. They have the same root as the word scissors, meaning they are designed, like scissors, to make a cut.

And within a few days or weeks, every leaf on these deciduous trees develops a thin bumpy line of cells that push the leaf, bit by bit, away from the tree..,

That’s where the tree gives each leaf a push, leaving it increasingly dangling,… then a breeze comes along and finishes the job.” Source.

**Well, I could give a life analogy here, seasons of life, seasons of letting go, but I won’t….I’ll leave it up to your imagination!

Linking up with  Emily’s ChattingattheSky, Holley’s CoffeeformyHeart