Autumn.

I climbed into my van ready to zoom up to Traverse City. I always have this sense of hurry in me. Which route is fastest and how fast can I go without getting a ticket? The human part of me was rearing its ugly head...Here in Holland, MI everything is still pretty green but the sky that day was a spectacular shade of blue.

I turned on my praise and worship music and it helped to get my focus back where it belongs. The sun seemed to be shining with extra brilliance. My eyes were absorbing the beauty around me and I was acutely aware that the shades of green that surrounded me were too numerous to count. I was awed by the picture that was being painted it seemed, just for me.

The farther north I traveled, God was going before me painting the trees with color just for my enjoyment. First there was just a slight touch of soft yellow here and there. Then the colors grew in frequency and richness. There were the deeper yellows, then gold, yellow orange, orange, orange red, red, deep burgundy red, purple, and browns in every tone from light sand to almost black and every shade of those colors mixed within the beauty of the greens. My senses were on overload and it seemed like there was more color surrounding me then my mind could comprehend.

With every turn more breathtaking views assaulted me. I reached a peak and looked below me as a carpet of colors covered the rolling hills. It looked like the most beautiful quilt ever created. Then around one bend there is a meadow covered with a blanket of rich green velvet. It was the softest shade of green. It seemed to be calling me to come and touch its softness. I turn around another bend and there, spread beside me is a lake. The water is the most beautiful shade of blue. I know that the brilliance of its color could never be duplicated. The sun sparkled off the slight ripples of the water, like diamonds floating on its surface. Then the beautiful colors of fall encircled it with breathtaking beauty.

When I arrived in Traverse City, I sat at a picnic table eating my lunch, looking out over the Grand Traverse Bay. The picture that was burned in my mind is so powerful it takes my breath away. The water is every shade of blue, the waves were tipped with white and the clouds were light puffs of cotton floating by. I could hear the sounds of so many different birds that it was hard for me to even count them. The freshness of the air was so rich that my lungs had to adjust to the purity it seemed to hold. There was the coolness of fall in the air but the sun bathed me in its warmth. Soft cream sand surrounded the rich blues of the water and then the border of color stood tall and majestic above the sand. The colors so vivid and rich I know they could not be created by human hand.

Tears fall as I am overwhelmed with the Lord’s love for me. He seemed to be guiding me through HIS creation and shouting to me, "See how much I love you!" "I created this all for the pleasure of my children." "I am in control. I am good and I love you!!" My tears fell also for those who do not see or know of His love for them. Here it is shouting to all who will look and listen, so powerful, so compelling, and so great. I want to shout it to all. I bow my head in humble adoration and pray a prayer of thanksgiving and joy.

(Terrie Miller 10/09/07)