Being Grateful

Sometimes I get so busy that I don't notice the things that surround me. It's much easier to get so wrapped up in our personal lives that we don't take time to notice the small things...but I suppose that is life. Last night as I was opening up our window more, I was overwhelmed with amazement at what was outside of my bedroom window...All the lights in the surrounding apartments and hotels were glittering, and at the end of the street the Pentagon was all lit up. I never get tired or used to seeing that image, and Norman and I just stood together looking out at the view and listening to the city noise. I have tried to take nighttime pictures many times, but my camera just won't take a clear night shot of the view for some reason. I decided to go ahead and post one anyway, even though it is blurry and dark. the lights are much brighter and the Pentagon looks much bigger in "real life", but this gives you an idea...

And then this morning when I got up, the first thing that I saw was this...How beautiful the fall is! (Sorry, these look kind of odd too, because I took them thru the screen in the window...) You can see the Potomac River in this top picture right above the trees in between the buildings...

And the thing is, there is so much to be grateful for even though all of the changes of the season can also be very sad. I lost one of my very best friends, and over the past months I've been building a relationship with her mother. We e-mail frequently, and I have grown so much by having her in my life. She is such a blessing to me, and as much as I find joy in this new relationship, the absence left by Michelle will never go away. But God does work in wondrous ways, and just as scripture tells us, he gives and he takes away. So even though the leaves on the trees wither and die, the spring does come, and we are given beauty of a different kind. Thank you my Michelley, for helping me see beauty in the transitions of life...