The changing of seasons is a wonderful site, such a blessing for us to be able to experience this. Each of us has growth with new change. Can you imagine life without the four seasons? Life without change and growth? Sometimes the change seems overwhelming and other times we have to strain to see it, but it's there.

Come sit with me around the Home fire's and let us reflect on the passing of this season and the new one coming. What changes have come into your hearts and lives? First thing, let us set aside any bad changes. We do not need to look at them. Not yet. Think and feel the good. Some may think, oh there's only been bad changes. I can't find anything good. I say, yes you can. I'm not going to find them for you. You're going to do that. Open your hearts and minds and search. There has been change and it has been good. Blessings from the east. The sun rose to give us light. Blessings from the north has brought us hope. Blessings from the south has brought us friendships. Blessings from the west has brought us rest. The earth that we walk upon gives us life. The creator that holds us brings us never ending love. Aho!

Now I'll share something else with you. I was at work Thursday when  Ed called. Some plans had changed.probably for the 100th time that day   I was to head out to Durango with the sprinkler truck. Well, got it all loaded and was ready to go. I pulled out of the yard around 1:30 then it started making a strange noise. I asked Victor,if he knew what it was. All trucks make little noises and such. Well, he didn't know and I knew if I called Ed, he would say bring it over so off we headed. It's only a 2 1/2 hour drive. once you get to Ouray you start climbing and do not stop until you have covered 3 passes all of which are not under 10.000 feet. And the rest of the mountains around you are around 15.000 feet. That morning during Prayer's I asked  creator if he would please watch over me. Well, we took the drive up and around and round we went. You can only go 10 miles and hour. They have no guard rails so when you look over, you're looking down for a very long time. Then we come around a corner and it's like a blast of beautiful reds, yellows, and gold sunlight.

The aspen are changing. The scrub oak is like a rainbow blanket covering the ground as far as you can see. Oh my, what beauty this is and right beyond that shooting to the sky is a huge mountain covered in snow. It's hard to breathe with such wonders. Well, we creeped on over waiting for each corner to come so we could gasp in wonder. We went around one corner and shooting right out of the mountain was this huge waterfall. It seemed like it was falling forever. We made it through the mountains and came to the job site. I called Ed on the radio to let him know that I was there and was dropping Victor off with Rueben.as i did this the truck died. I thought well ok now start, but it didn't. So I tried it again. I had no Clutch. So I called Rueben over and asked him to try to start it. He did, but still no clutch. So I called Ed back and told him the truck had died and there was no clutch. He says "How can that be?" I said that I didn't know but there was no clutch. I had driven over three giant passes then the thing went out. It's hard to say what would have happened if it had gone out on one of those mountains. Praises to Creator!

When i headed over there I didn't know how I was going to get back home. Well, I found out shortly. I was with riding back with Dan in the semi with a full trailer on the back and another trailer on that one. Now i have drove truck a long time. But i was driving and It makes a big difference in your mental outlook and blood pressure. got up in that big thing and found that my seat liked to move around a bit..ok..thats alright yea,right.You don't want a seat that moves when you are taking corners in a semi with 10.000 feet of space below you. I started grabbing air and dash board's.think i latched onto Dan too not sure. that chair felt like it was going over the edge it was a feeling i am sure i do not want to feel any time soon. I bet there's a permanent size 6 shoe print in the floor board of that truck. Dan is a really good driver but it makes no difference when you're hanging on to air. we made it back into the yard around 7p.m. Went to jump  out of the truck and had charley horses in both legs. back felt like a jack hammer was in it. My arms were numb. But what a ride! There was more snow on the mountains on our way back.

And It was like the aspen had grown in beauty. Yea, I opened my eyes a few times and realized that fall and winter are coming. They bring wisdom, patience, and endurance. We should share these things. Hold them close with in your heart. Now as we warm ourselves around the home fires here is a story of a winter's night. I'll put some more wood on the fire. Listen to the crackling and feel its warmth as it holds you gently through the changes that are coming. Let us share the wondrous blessings of the new changes and seasons ahead of us.


Tale for a Winter’s Night

The recent snowstorm and the bitter cold that is still with us, is a great time for storytelling.  This one comes from people of the sub-arctic in the area of British Columbia. A long time ago, before people were on the earth, the winter decided to stay awhile longer, or so it seemed.  At first, the animals didn’t mind, but when months turned into years and the earth remained freezing cold, something had to be done.  Not only were the animals shivering in the cold, they were starving to death.

"Where was the warmth?" everyone asked.

A council was called and all the earth’s creatures attended except one – the bear.  That made everyone suspicious. Now it so happened that in those days the bear lived on a special plane above the earth. A search party would have to be formed to spy on her.  The fox, bobcat, mouse, and others, immediately volunteered.  One by one they crawled up through the hole in the sky to the place where the bear lived.  It wasn’t long before they found the bear’s home.  A column of smoke indicated it was warm. They found two cubs cuddled inside. 

"Where is your mother?" asked the fox.
"Out hunting," answered the cubs. The searchers noticed some bags hanging on poles and asked the cubs what was in them.
"Fog, wind and rain," answered the cubs.
"But what is in the fourth bag?" asked the searchers.
"Oh, that’s a secret," said the cubs. "Mama would be angry if we told you that."  But being little ones, they eventually let it slip that the bag held the earth’s heat. 

The searchers had to work fast. Mother bear would not be gone long.  Pulling the fourth bag from its pole, they went outside and hid until they figured out what to do. All too quickly they saw the mother bear returning.  The bobcat immediately shape shifted into a young caribou so she would chase him.  Seeing him as dinner, that’s exactly what she did.  Meanwhile the remaining searchers, pulling the big bag of heat, made for the opening back to their world.  The bag was so heavy; they had to take turns pulling it. With the bear right on the caribou’s heels, he plunged into the lake to slow her down.  She jumped into a canoe to follow him, but it upset, slowing her down.  Reaching shore, the caribou changed back to being a bobcat and ran to help his friends.  With the bear getting very close, the searchers got to the sky-hole and slipped back to earth, with their prize, just in time!

But the story doesn’t end there. Yes, the warm heat melted the snow.  The sun shone, and the dark, cloudy days were gone.  Then something happened.  All the years of snow melted, and made a great flood.  Water was everywhere. Was everyone going to drown?  No way!  Mother Earth had provided a giant tree, big enough to hold the earth’s creatures and save them from drowning.  Meanwhile, a giant fish appeared.  It swallowed all the water and grew and grew until it became a great mountain, on which life could flourish once again. Were the long-ago spinners of this tale trying to tell us something? The bear had stolen an element of nature for her own selfish use, much in the way mankind is exploiting the natural world today. Mother Earth rewarded the animals for their efforts to save the world. When the time comes for our accounting, will she be as kind to us?