It’s a question I get from my downstater friends and others around the country often: How’s the weather? Are you buried under snow?

And while the winds of fall bluster leaves around the neighborhood here in Buffalo, there are glimmers of summer trying desperately to hang around. Check these out:

Sunset from my driveway:

Sunrise on the morning walk with my dog:

And then a left turn just one block away turned into this glistening moment:

It often makes me feel small, God’s wonder of weather. The sun shining and the leaves falling and the clouds threatening. Scientific explanations can tell us why they all happen, but little can be said about the awe inspiring feelings that are beholden to each one of us when we are caught in a moment of grandeur like this.

I start and end each of my days with the sun. Some days I cannot see the sun and I humbly remember that I am not in control. Other days I respond with much gratitude for the picturesque. And even more days I respond with longing to see God in the gloomy and the grandiose.

And so today, I wait for God to come again…

And show me the joy in creation.