While at Peace Valley Park on Monday, I thought about how the weather affects autumn colors. I'm not scientific, but it seems that when we have an extended summer as we did this year with fall temperatures in the 80s, that the leaf colors just fade . The firery reds, golds, yellows and oranges are here and there, but not all at once. I felt cheated as I walked around the lake because the trees were either mostly bare or just a dull green. But before leaving, I opened my moonroof and looked up. And there was one of the most beautiful trees I've seen this year.

Sometimes when I'm looking for the big picture, I may overlook a miracle just above me. A single tree. I would have missed it had I not looked straight up before driving away disappointed.

Lord, help me to see you in the small, daily things and not worry about the bigger picture that appears to be no big deal.