What Mask Are You Wearing?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I know what you're thinking. But, no.  In spite of the title, this isn't about Halloween. 

Last week I told you about some scenic drives we like to take, especially once the leaves begin to change. The colors are vibrant, and the mountains seem to beg us to come and share in their beauty.

One of the places we enjoy visiting each year is Gorges State Park. Not only are there vistas at which to take gorgeous photos, but there is a waterfall there, too. And they have picnic tables at which you may share a meal with your family or traveling companions.

The visitor center is very nice. It is equipped with clean restrooms and they have a gift shop, too. It is part of the state park system. Be sure to see the displays inside the center. They are all very good and informative, and they change with the seasons.

One of the displays on our visit last year showed a photo of a yellow leaf. The information surrounding the leaf explained that while we only see the bright colors of the trees in the Fall, those colors are present within the leaf year-round. Those bright colors we drive so far to see are masked behind the more dominant green pigments called chlorophylls. The beautiful colors we wait all year long to see have been there all along, but we couldn’t see them.

Many Masks

This made me wonder how many of us are hiding our potential behind a mask. There are many masks—fear, self-doubt, anxiety, shame just to name a few. You could probably add your own word/s to this list.

Here is the good news. Whatever it is God has called you to, He has equipped you with all you need to see it to fruition. And He is a gentleman, He not only opens doors, He stands and holds it as you walk through. He doesn’t leave you. He’s with you through the entire journey, no matter what it is or how long it takes. There is a saying that has been on the internet in recent years, If God takes you to it, He will get you through it.

Remove Your Mask

Whether you’ve been called to be a writer, musician, artist, teacher, member of our military, a first responder, stay-at-home-mom, or anything you can imagine, God has placed within you what you need to accomplish your goals. Maybe they’ve been hiding out for a while as you prepare for your future. At the perfect time, you will remove your mask and let your light shine, like the Fall leaves, hiding beneath a layer of chlorophyll until the right season arrives.

God is amazing . . . your true colors have been there all along.

Are you ready to remove your mask and let your true colors shine? Share your thoughts with us.

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Fall-Time For a Beautiful Drive

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A view from the Cherohala Skyway

Fall. It’s finally creeping in on us here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While some of you, two of our sons included—one in Austin and one in Tampa—are battling temps hovering in the nineties, our high today and tomorrow will be in the mid-seventies at the highest. Our lows? A nice, comfortable mid-forties to mid-fifties range. Believe me, I know. I feel your pain.

My sweet hubby pulled out our Fall décor this week and we got that placed around our home. I don’t go over the top. Simplicity is the operative word here. Besides, it’s about all I have time or energy for. One thing I’d like to do is add potted mums to our front porch. I love Fall colors and potted mums make one’s home seem so warm and inviting.

Your True Colors - Are They Masked?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My husband and I love to take long drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the perks of living in the gorgeous mountains of western North Carolina is getting to experience the glorious colors presented by the change of seasons. Rhododendron in the spring or red, yellow, and orange leaves announcing the arrival of fall. We are among the ranks of those who proclaim that fall is our favorite of the seasons.

On any given day of the week, you could find us out and about, seeking that perfect photo-op. Now, neither of us will ever declare ourselves to be photographers. That title belongs to others.

Change I Can Live With

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I don’t like change. Period. And what is life but one change followed by another and then another. Nothing ever stays the same.

When I was in college I took a psychology class in which we were given a test to determine certain aspects of our personalities. Don’t ask me what the test was called because that was a lifetime ago. But I do remember that on one question about change, I ranked in the ninety-nine percent of those who hate change. I could have told them that without the benefit of the test.

I’ve had a lot of changes in my life in the past four or five years. Some of the changes were by choice, but some were not. My husband and I are about to experience another pretty big change in our lives. We are moving for the fourth time in less than five years. That’s a lot of moving─ especially for people our age. I’m trying to look on the bright side and adjust to the change.