A Message for October

A smiling man wearing sunglasses sits on a white bench and holds out an orange pumpkin beside yellow flowers and a Pumpkin Patch sign.
Two lit pillar candles against a dark background, with the nearer flame in sharp focus and the second candle behind it.

ROBERT SNAP SPOT

A Message for October

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Thoughtful Thursday – Motivational – Changing Seasons

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Light a Candle With Me

A prayer arrived in a text message this morning, and I wanted to share it with you.

October is here!

Before I get carried away with pumpkins and fall photographs, I’m lighting a candle.

There are people I want to hold in this prayer. You probably have someone in mind, too.

– Robert

Read these words with me, at your own pace.
There’s room here for your prayer alongside mine.

October prayer graphic beside an illustration of Buddha with palms together, asking for healing, restoration, joy, love, food, and world peace. Full prayer transcribed nearby.
This morning’s text message was something I wanted to pass along.
I Begin This Month with a Special Prayer:
May the broken be healed, may the sick be restored,
may joy return to those in despair, may the lonely find love,
may the hungry be fed, and may our world be at peace.

October, Take My Gift

Here I am in Vinings, Georgia, seated among the pumpkins with one held out toward you.
“I am offering October a gift… take it.” Yes, the pumpkin comes with a prayer! TIB: (It was not the lightest pumpkin I chose to hold. Smiling but giving the guns a workout, hurry Neal!)

A smiling man wearing sunglasses sits on a white bench and holds out an orange pumpkin beside yellow flowers and a Pumpkin Patch sign.
Here, October. I picked out something you might like!

Could October bring healing? I’m welcoming it with that hope. And apparently, I’ve brought a pumpkin big enough for the occasion! Oh, I’m sorry, did you want…? There are plenty left in this patch.

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THIS WEEK I NOTICED

Someone Made Room for Us

Look at that bench beside the fall display. Someone arranged the pumpkins and flowers, then left a place for us to sit among them. I appreciate that. When there’s a seat, I’m more likely to stay awhile and notice what I would have walked right past.


A Place to Sit With Hope

Fall is on full display in this shared space in Vinings, Georgia. Pumpkins gather around an old mantel, dried cornstalks stand on either side, and yellow and orange flowers catch the sunlight. Plenty of green remains in the trees. October has brought its decorations, and I’ve found myself a seat!

So beautiful, huh?

Pumpkins and gourds surround a weathered white mantel outdoors, with dried cornstalks, yellow and orange flowers, a straw bale, and nearby benches.
Whoever arranged all this knew how to get me to stop.

The prayer gives me plenty to sit with, too. Healing for the broken. Restoration for the sick. Joy finding its way back to someone in despair. I want the lonely to find love, the hungry to have enough to eat, and our world to be at peace. That last request is a big one. I’m leaving it in.

A nearby koi pond glimmers, and there are those October colors again, moving beneath the water. Orange, gold, patches of red. Look at them! Watching the koi, I think about the strength it takes to keep going when life is difficult. I can offer a prayer, and I can also call someone who feels alone or help put a meal on a table. I’d like to carry those words with me after the candle burns down.

Orange, white, and patterned koi swim in a rock-lined pond around a submerged round container filled with stones.
A seat among the pumpkins, then a stop beside the pond. I’m settling in.

This is such a wondrous place! Serene imagery like tranquil koi ponds or peaceful nature inspire calm and mindfulness. This community knew what they were doing here! No wonder Neal and I were drawn to this spot.


October, Receive These Gifts

Welcome, October; take my gifts of hope and prayer, with a few borrowed colors from the pond.

The orange-and-black koi looks dressed for October already. Then those flowing fins pass through the frame, and I’m quite happy to stay for another photograph. Just how do they match the colors we associate with this time of year so well?

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Orange, gold, black, and white koi gather beneath rippling reflections, with a golden fish facing a white-and-black fish near the center.
I’ll stay for one more look. You’re welcome to stay with me.

I’ll leave you beside the pond for a moment, with the colors still moving through the water.
Take whichever words of the prayer you need today. I’m carrying “may our world be at peace.” We all need a little peace right now!

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES

What Shall We Give October?

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— Robert


📍Vinings, Atlanta, Georgia

Collection
Thoughtful Thursday, Motivational, Changing Seasons

Captured with
Canon EOS Rebel SL1, iPhone 8 Plus

Published by
Robert Snap Spot

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