Beauty is such a gentle grace. Like God, it rarely shouts, rarely intrudes. Rather it woos, soothes, invites; it romances and caresses. We often sigh in the presence of beauty as it begins to minister to us – a good, deep soul-sigh.

John Eldredge, Get Your Life Back, Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad

I go through phases of posting my #straygifts on social media and other times when I am quiet. I have been posting a bit more, so thought I would share the most recent collection here on the blog. A collage of photos (in random order) will be at the bottom of this entry.

Gifts Sunset: 1) Transition from the day’s work into night’s rest 2) Layers of color spread over the horizon 3) As the sun was setting on one side of the road, the moon was rising on the other. The view was breathtaking.

Gifts Fresh: 1) Crisp apples with breakfast 2) Autumn air on our face and arms as we ate breakfast on the porch 3) The sound of children laughing on the playground behind our apartment

Gifts Seasonal: 1) Fall craft paper – my favorite 2) I don’t always have the time to make greeting cards, but I was able to while in El Paso for a few weeks. 3) My creativity is seasonal because sometimes, I just have no idea what kinds of cards I want to make. Other times, like in these cards, I made them one right after another and the creative “juices” were flowing. I made 28 cards within a few days.

Gifts Hopeful: 1) John’s appointment with the surgeon last week went well. The shoulder looks like it is healing. If it continues to hurt, though, an MRI will be done in a few months to see what’s what. 2) Gradual cooling temperatures that make it actually feel like Autumn. 3) We live closer to our Dallas area friends now (less than 2 hours) and we may be venturing out to visit a few here and there in the coming months.

Gifts Conversation: 1) Talk of plans for the future and what God may have in store for us 2) Texts setting up a visit at the end of the month with friends 3) A phone call from my niece who is in college in TN

Gifts Outside: 1) John and I went to the Riverwalk here in Waco yesterday. It was a beautiful day to be outside and to take a walk. He could not have done this a year ago before his first hip replacement surgery. 2) Fresh breeze surrounding us with scents of grass and of the water off the river 3) Huge old oak trees with branches growing in all directions