(I cannot find the name of the person who took this photograph, but I did not take it.)

Wow!  What else can I say?  Behold, the beauty we are blessed with after enduring the dreary showers in the fall!  I love how that works!  Putting up with a little irritation and messiness is worth it to then be able to enjoy the beauty that follows.

The beautiful fall foliage is nature’s last “Hoorah!” before the long, dry, cold, gray spell of winter.  Then, we will have to endure a little more irritation and messiness before springtime rolls around again!

Early in life we exclaim, “April Showers Bring May Flowers!”  We accept the showers and look forward to the rebirth of the beauty that they bring about.

I know I can’t change the weather, so I don’t try.  It is what it is.  I listen to the forecast and make plans accordingly.  I can even take my chances and hope the forecast is wrong. Sometimes, it is wrong and I get lucky. But for the most part, I just accept what the forecast is and try to work around it.

It’s harder for me to learn the same lesson when it comes to people. Ugh. I really have learned this lesson.  Seriously, I have.  But sometimes I ignore the occasional irritation and messiness of relationships and expect something more, or maybe just something different.

Note to self:

1) Some winters (or difficult relationships) are longer, colder, and harder than others. Make plans accordingly. Sometimes predictions are wrong.  If you’re feeling lucky, take a chance and expect more.  If the prediction is wrong, take what you get and enjoy the beauty when it eventually emerges.

2) Sometimes beauty is re-birthed in brand new things, including relationships.  Know when to let go.

3) Even when it’s difficult to see the beauty, give thanks.

~Gigi