ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER@

October is here and along with it comes brilliant colors that transcend anything we can reproduce. God is in His creation throughout the year, but He seems to pull out all the stops when it comes to this month. The crunch of dried leaves underfoot – the faint smell of a bonfire and possibly S’mores – the shorter days and longer nights – all point back at a breathtaking summer and forward to the chill of the cold winter to come. This watercolor is a sampling of the beauty that God lays before us in October. Pumpkins appear on doorsteps. Halloween decorations are popping up all over. Aromatic spices of cinnamon and nutmeg fill the air and apple pies are in the oven. Flannel shirts will replace tank tops. Boots come out and flip flops are put away for another season. Take time to enjoy the blessings that God has given at this most special time of the year.

Ascending through a crimson sky, brilliant glory blazes,

Morning’s light so swiftly passes, into heavenly gazes,

Sunshine cuts through frosty woods, a peace in the afterglow,

Shorter days and longer nights, remind us of coming snow,

The glory and the splendor of the early morning light,

Defines the way we feel just then and carries us to night,

Shadows fall and daylight ends and the sunset disappears,

And wait we must for sleep to come; it has for many years,

And if we wake at morning light, or if life is ended,

We’ll possess October skies to heaven be transcended.