Green Leaves My mom loves leaves. That's one of the first things I noticed about my new home. Our living room is full of photos of leaves, leaf artwork, leaf lamps, a rug embroidered with leaves, leaf blankets, leaf-decorated candles, and, yes, even actual leaves.

My mom's not the only person who decorates in such a leaf-obsessed manner. It has actually become a trend. There seems to be a human fascination with bringing the outdoors in. And now, with summer upon us, more than ever before humans are bringing the indoor out. "Outdoor living" designers (and advertisers!) call it.

Personally, I think it's great. The more that you become submersed in nature, the more you become connected with and appreciate nature, including us animals as part of nature. As you're lounging outside in your rain-resistant couch with your feet up on your weatherproof table in front of your outdoor fireplace, you can watch sparrows plucking up seeds and squirrels chattering to each other and rabbits munching on clover. You can see grass waving in the breeze and trees providing shade and flowers opening up to gorgeous colors. Knowing that God's creation is alive and that you are part of that creation can give you an amazing sense of harmony. It's hard to experience that feeling by slouching on your indoor couch eating a microwaved meal in front of your non-weatherproofed television.

Think of the things you tend to do in the summer, camp, hike, swim, play baseball, garden, cookout. They're all things that you do outside, in nature. Summer gives you opportunities to get out into nature, to be part of the animals, the plants, the life that God has created. As annoyingly hot and muggy as summer can sometimes be, it can help bring a feeling of harmony to our lives, and that makes the weather worth it!

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