Light Shine From Above - Autumn - Missoula, Montana

“God knows I was due a little Light Shining on me from Above, whether I believed in such things or not. Like most people, denying it never got in the way of relying on it. “ 

-Woody Nickel in West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, p 75 

Consider the Field Daisies - Near Frenchtown, Montana

“But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. 

It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."

-G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), from Orthoudoxy

Looking Up - Autumn - Leaves - Missoula, Montana

“She looked up. The sky was without cloud, a dome of lightest blue filled with air, great swirls and eddies of it, which you could see — just about — if you stared long enough. She breathed in deeply, and felt the fine dry air fill her with a buoyant optimism.”

-Mma Ramotswe, p. 85 in large type edition, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, a No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel by Alexander McCall Smith

Best Game Day View Ever - Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana

The true fans are early to another gorgeous home game day at U of Montana Washington-Grizzly Stadium, playing Weber State. Go Griz!

Wildness Reflected - Mission Mountains View From Ninepipe Wildlife Refuge, Montana

“What would the world be, once bereft 
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, 
O let them be left, wildness and wet; 
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”

-Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), 

from Inversnaid 

Worth the Wait - Mailboxes, Near Kalispell, Montana

Big thanks to Sister #3 for today’s musings & Big Sky view during her recent Montana meanderings. 

 Rural mailboxes captured my imagination, reminders that some things in life are worth waiting for. 

"I love the rebelliousness of snail mail, and I love anything that can arrive with a postage stamp. There's something about that person's breath and hands on the letter." 

-Diane Lane in interview with Steve "Frosty" Weintraub, Sept. 26, 2008

Sun Up, Shore Bright - Peterson Lake, near Big Fork, Montana

“ …Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me 

keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be 
astonished.…”

— Mary Oliver (1935-2019), from “Messenger,” found in Mary Oliver’s collection Thirst

Sharrott Creek Fire Camp Edge - US Hwy 93, Stevensville, Montana

This quote in no way denigrates the seriousness of the Sharrott Creek and other wildfires, especially as relates to people’s safety. But driving past this smokey reminder of possible loss on our way to visit family re-upped my ongoing pondering on what is truly important.

"…Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain…Sit it out. Let it all pass. Let it go." - May Sarton (1912-1995), from Journal Of A Solitude

(Quote find thanks to Austin Kleon in his thoughtful action-inspiring Keep Going: 10 Ways To Stay Creative…)