Autumn

After a summer of frightening heat and too little rain, I sit here on a September morning with the windows open enjoying the cooler temperatures. Not yet fall, but thinking about what a blessing Autumn brings. Autumn means change.

Yes, with Autumn, we get cooler temperatures. Daylight hours get shorter. We are not quite as active. Leaves change colors and fall off the trees. Animals migrate or scurry around preparing for winter. 

There was a time when I was more likely to enjoy hayrides despite my allergies, roast hot dogs and make s'mores. There is something extraordinary about huddling in front of a fire on a chilly night. Friends gather and share laughter. Practicing the fine art of marshmallow toasting, or do you prefer charred?  

Tug on a big comfortable sweater, don a colorful scarf and you are prepared for the day. In the evening, curl up under a blanket with a good book next to someone you love and the day has a perfect ending.  

Autumn is about the harvest, the gathering together. The season of growing is over and truly it is time to reap the rewards of your labor. There is dust over the fields and the crops are taken in. It is a time of fulfillment.

There is some irony that autumnal colors are those from the warm palette as each day the temperatures get cooler.  But the beauty of the fall landscape is worth any irony. A few years ago, I was privileged to chaperone a fall youth retreat. While the kids were in lessons on Saturday, I was able to sit beside the lake with the fall colors mirrored in the lakes waters. It was a double delight and one I could not help but capture in writing.

One other fall activity I used to love was going to a pumpkin farm and riding the wagon out into the fields and finding pumpkins for each of the kids. I think pumpkins have their own personalities and often I could not help but buy those bumpy pumpkins that others ignored. Something in their imperfection spoke to me and I could not help but bring them home.

Breathe in the crisp fall air and look for your blessings this fall.