A Grateful Heart

“All the way to heaven is heaven, 

because Jesus said, "I am the way.”
― St. Catherine of Siena   

       I look around me on this August day in late summer, and I notice already the beginning of the end of this season.  My tomato plant-in-a-pot, known as "Tommy" to my friends, is wild with blossoms and new fruit sprouting out everywhere.  I have gone to battle first with Japanese beetles and then with hornworms, and their relentless offspring, to get here, without chemicals and insecticides.  Harvest time is fast approaching!

I see some reddish-tinted leaves beginning to fall from the crape myrtle in our backyard.  The late afternoon and evening sunlight is coming through the living room windows at a different angle these days.  Earth is shifting on her axis.

I notice that the day doesn't last till 9 p.m. any longer, and dusk arrives sooner and sooner, as we now head into September.  Before we know it, we'll be wearing soft, comforting sweaters and drinking warm beverages from our favorite mugs.

But until autumn really gets here, I'm going to enjoy every last moment of daylight, each warm evening, and the feel of a fan's cool caress, as I fall asleep.  Life is so good, and sometimes we're too busy to notice...

I often think about what St. Catherine of Siena exclaimed, "All the way to heaven is heaven," as I enjoy the gift of God's creativeness in vast ways.  "All the way to heaven is heaven," as I feel God's love through my friends, family, and even my cat.  "All the way to heaven is heaven," as I choose Christ as my model for the rest of life on earth and continuing to follow him toward life eternal.  May you too feel heaven in the unique way that God offers it to you today.  💙