Green and Brown

I’m looking out my window right now at the snow-dusted expanse of the Sierra Nevada.  It’s such a relief when the rain and snow finally arrive in California after the long hot summer.  My husband and I often joke that there are really only two seasons where we live: green and brown.

You see, we get virtually no rain in the summertime.  It is normal to go from June thru October with nary a drop.  And during that time it is hot and dry, and all the grassland in the foothills dies and turns brown.  It is still beautiful, but it takes some getting used to.  

My husband once asked Pastor Hans what surprised him the most when he first came to California from Germany, where he grew up.  He replied that it was the dry brown-ness of the mountains in summer, something he had never seen before in his native land.

But once the rains arrive, the grass quickly comes alive again, and the foothills turn a glorious green, the rivers and the creeks flow again and the clouds hug the hillsides.  It’s so beautiful, it takes your breath away.  And it always causes me to feel grateful to God for His provision.  It reminds me of the first 3 verses of Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have what I need.

He lets me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside quiet waters.

He renews my life;

he leads me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

 Do you love the changing of the seasons?  Are you grateful for the rain or snow or the changing color of the leaves on the trees?  Tell me all about it at Lifting Her Voice, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.