If it's all or nothing, I'll take all

"until now you would not hear"

Exodus 7:16

Okay, I think ~ and I hope ~ that we have finally entered into Autumn around here.  The five-day forecast shows nothing higher than 76, and a low of 52!  Huzzah!

Yes, that was a little bit of sarcasm there.  I know that most of the country experiences weather extremes that we in California do not.  But I do love the change of season, and all that goes with it. 

One of the things that goes with it, is being able to have the windows open all day.  In the heat of summertime, I open all the windows on the main floor first thing in the morning, and then shut them about 11:00 am.  Or 10:00 if it's going to be a really hot day.  Then I close the drapes, turn on the fans and settle in the coolest room in the house, only moving to eat. 

But I didn't open any windows this morning, because almost as soon as I got up, there was someone nearby doing something very noisy.  Sawing, leaf-blowing.... I'm not sure.  But it makes the dog bark, and distracts me, so I opted to leave the windows closed for awhile. 

But here's the problem with that:  I couldn't hear anything.  I mean, I know that was the point, but it succeeded a little too well.  I went into my girl's room at some point to do some school with her, and she had her window open.  As we sat talking, I could hear birds singing, and the little bit of breeze that was blowing outside. 

I had been missing all that, by choosing to have my windows closed. 
I didn't even know the annoying noise had stopped, and while I was eliminating the annoying, I was also eliminating the good.  And I decided it wasn't worth it. 

I love the sounds of outdoors.  I love the chirping and tweeting and singing of birds.  I love that my woodpecker lets me know when he's visiting our apple tree.  I love when the dog noses the screen door open and doesn't shut it behind her (whatever happened to manners?) and then the cat goes out the open door and then I notice the open door and shut it and then a little while later the cat wants to come in and when she can't because I have shut the screen, she goes to the window of the living room and meows at me to let her in.

Lesson learned:  eliminating the bad is not worth eliminating the good.  And I'll take whatever He allows in my life.

~ "the sufferings of this present time

are not worthy to be compared

    with the glory which shall be revealed in us" ~

Romans 8:18

~