Have you ever just been in bed at night and thought about the most random things? It’s 3 a.m. and you wake up thinking about getting a pot roast out of your freezer on Thursday, and it’s only Monday. Then that rolls into remembering you are down to five slices of bread, and you’ll have to go to the store before Friday. While you’re out, you should probably renew your license, so if you get pulled over, you don’t get busted. Ha! Then you think about all the thank you notes you still need to finish writing, worry about the person you forgot to text back yesterday, a load of wash that will need to get put in in the morning, a good comeback to an stupid small argument you had months ago that would of been perfect, and remember when you lost the four legged race in third grade to the pretty popular girl named Olivia Grace. How did we get from a pot roast to Olivia Grace? A lot of you are going, “Yup,” I know exactly what she’s talking about! You just think of the most random things that are totally unnecessary at 3 a.m.

Well, this was me the other night. Not exactly all those things, but close. Just stupid random things. My mind wouldn’t stop. So, I started saying, over and over, “Jesus, you are love. Jesus, you are forgiving. Jesus, you are my strength. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.”

I then began to think about my favorite months being here, and it made me so happy. I am made for the “ber” months. I will always and forever be a “ber” month girl. These next four months make me so happy. It’s cozy season, y’all!

I then began to thank Jesus for this time of year and the happiness it brings me. I thought about how beautiful the leaves are, and how they make me feel when I watch them fall from the sky. It means the trees will soon look bare, and all these beautiful leaves will dry up and die. But not to worry, the trees will bloom again come spring.

Then that made me think of Jesus. Wow, Jesus, you are like a fall tree! You were a bright person who once walked the earth, making the blind see, raising the lame to walk, and bringing people back from the dead. You then had to endure this horrible death on the cross to save all of us sinners from eternal death. (Gives me goosebumps every time.) But you rose again, giving us all hope and faith for centuries to come. A reason to have strength in whatever we are going through. Jesus is this big, beautiful tree with his branches out, just waiting for you to take hold of the tree of life with the strongest roots. His tree can guide you through all the seasons of life, and one day, when we leave this world and have Jesus in our hearts, we will have an unbelievable place in heaven with Him.

So, when you look at a gorgeous big tree in all its fall beauty this season, remember what Jesus did for you. Know his branches reach out to all of us, no matter what. Happy Fall, everyone!

Decadent Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
• 1 box vanilla cake mix (plus eggs, oil, and water as required on the box)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip (frozen)
• 1/2 cup caramel sundae topping
• 1 cup Heath candy bits (or crushed toffee bites)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking dish. Prepare the vanilla cake mix according to the package instructions, then stir in pumpkin until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is still warm, use the handle of the wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake about 1 inch apart. Slowly pour the condensed milk over the cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Let the cake cool completely, then top with Cool Whip, drizzle on caramel, and sprinkle with a Heath candy bar. Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before serving to allow all the flavors to marry.