small enough for the weather?

I opened the windows in the house today.

Yes, that sounds like I don't have anything to blog about. But to me that means that God is small enough to care about the weather in my life. (I realize I sound absurd.)

Last year, we literally ran the air conditioner in our house until the middle of December. Everyone I know has heard me complain about the summer here this year, and to be fair, everyone has complained about the summer here this year. So imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when there began to be hints of cooler weather - like cool breezes.

Two Christmases ago, there was nothing I wanted more than to be in Omaha for Christmas. That couldn't happen because Jadyn was born 9 days before Christmas that year. But my family came down, which was fabulous. I just really really wanted to see snow that particular Christmas. (For those who may not know, it snows here about once a decade. The last snow had been some 12 years earlier.) Understanding that I sound like a nut, I honestly believe God made it snow overnight that Christmas Eve for me.

So do I think that God made the weather change this year for me? I don't know, maybe. Maybe He's showing me that He is small enough to care about those completely unimportant things in my life. Part of me wonders why God would care about such things. The other part of me wonders why not? And then I wonder if this has anything to do with God teaching me that I do need things from people, that I can't take care of myself by myself, even when I know most people are utterly unreliable. Could God be saying, "Trust me to take care of you - I'm your backup when other people let you down. See, I even changed the weather for you."

(Am I obsessed with the weather? There's a good possibility. But my theory is that people from the Midwest are all obsessed with the weather out of necessity - it is actually that unpredictable.)

my head says it's fall

There comes a point every year when green leaves are offensive to me.

I don't know how the entire world became programmed this way, but everyone and everything starts to move into an autumn/back to school/get ready for winter kind of mode. My personal theory is that God created us to need a change every once in a while, and weather, as minor as it (usually) is, provides an external change that helps my mood.

I will blame it on my midwestern upbringing. This year, however, Starbucks must shoulder some of the blame for the audacity to bring back Pumpkin Spice Lattes when it is still mid-90s with high humidity here. Those things are simply incompatible.

So all of you in normal climates, appreciate pulling out the jeans and sweatshirts for the morning and evening coolness. Drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte and have it actually mean something. Meanwhile, Alaina, Jadyn and I will still be pulling on our swimsuits and heading for the pool.