I have come to a conclusion, a revelation really.
I have an autumn heart. No, this doesn’t mean I think my heart is a pumpkin covered in fall leaves. Let me explain what I mean.
To me, autumn is a time of change and reflection, and yes, for thankfulness. Autumn is a time to prepare for the future, like the barren winter ahead. Animals store food and fat (I seem to do that well myself) and the trees lose their leaves so what nutrients they can get in the sparse winter months can go straight to their roots. It is a time of abundance and harvest, to collect on the hard work of the spring and summer. Autumn is the time for everything to go out with a bright, blazing flash of red and gold before going to sleep for the winter.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. You may be thinking to yourself, what do we really know of the glory of the fall here in Arizona? We barely have trees, let alone ones whose leaves change and fall for the autumn. That’s true, while we do get some of that up north, it’s not nearly as spectacular as the colors and beauty of fall in say New England. Still, we can tell a change here in the valley. The temperatures start to drop, thank goodness. We can walk outside without melting, or buckle our seatbelts without fear of branding our skin with the metal part. (No matter how hard I try I always catch some small patch of skin with the dang buckle!)
So that’s what I mean by an autumn heart, one of change and thankfulness. I don’t do well staying stagnant, though, a part of me wishes I could be. Just because I recognize that I need change, doesn’t mean it’s easy, or that I enjoy the havoc it sometimes causes. Change is not enjoyable, but it is necessary and I at least have come to recognize that and don’t try to fight it as I used to when I was a child. Now I do my best to welcome it. Besides, as my friend Betsy said in her recent blog, “I don't have to have it all figured out. Besides, where would the adventure be if I did?” Cheers Betsy! You’re exactly right! Life is an adventure, not always an easy one, but amazing and beautiful even in its dark moments. I wish I could, as you said, bottle up the good parts too. In those moments I try to always take a moment and thank God. In those moments, it’s very easy to do so. What is harder, but I still try to do, is to thank God in the dark moments. Those are the moments where we need Him most and need to remember he is beside us. That is when I am most thankful to have Him beside me, and to know that no matter my faults or short comings, He loves me.
Other than that my lovelies, I guess really my main point in this post is just to celebrate fall. Saturday, September 22nd, was the official first day of fall. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for everything that goes with it! Carving pumpkins, dressing up for Halloween, wearing a light jacket (yes that is cause for celebration in Phoenix, Arizona), watching football games with my dad, Thanksgiving dinner! Oh the ham and potatoes and rolls! It makes me salivate just thinking about it!
Anyway, that’s it my dear readers, whoever’s out there. I only know who a few of you are, hi Mom, so don’t be afraid to comment. I just wanted to say that I’m ready for fall and a change. I do sense a change in the air. Something new is coming around the bend. I am ready as I can be, and excited for it. Let’s see what the future brings. I have a feeling it is good!
I leave you, yet again, with a song. This song is speaking to me lately, more than it ever has. "...but people, I guess, can't live like that. We all must pay a price. To be safe we lose our chance of ever knowing what's around the riverbend." I don't want to be safe right now. I want to see "what's around the riverbend."
I have an autumn heart. No, this doesn’t mean I think my heart is a pumpkin covered in fall leaves. Let me explain what I mean.
To me, autumn is a time of change and reflection, and yes, for thankfulness. Autumn is a time to prepare for the future, like the barren winter ahead. Animals store food and fat (I seem to do that well myself) and the trees lose their leaves so what nutrients they can get in the sparse winter months can go straight to their roots. It is a time of abundance and harvest, to collect on the hard work of the spring and summer. Autumn is the time for everything to go out with a bright, blazing flash of red and gold before going to sleep for the winter.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. You may be thinking to yourself, what do we really know of the glory of the fall here in Arizona? We barely have trees, let alone ones whose leaves change and fall for the autumn. That’s true, while we do get some of that up north, it’s not nearly as spectacular as the colors and beauty of fall in say New England. Still, we can tell a change here in the valley. The temperatures start to drop, thank goodness. We can walk outside without melting, or buckle our seatbelts without fear of branding our skin with the metal part. (No matter how hard I try I always catch some small patch of skin with the dang buckle!)
So that’s what I mean by an autumn heart, one of change and thankfulness. I don’t do well staying stagnant, though, a part of me wishes I could be. Just because I recognize that I need change, doesn’t mean it’s easy, or that I enjoy the havoc it sometimes causes. Change is not enjoyable, but it is necessary and I at least have come to recognize that and don’t try to fight it as I used to when I was a child. Now I do my best to welcome it. Besides, as my friend Betsy said in her recent blog, “I don't have to have it all figured out. Besides, where would the adventure be if I did?” Cheers Betsy! You’re exactly right! Life is an adventure, not always an easy one, but amazing and beautiful even in its dark moments. I wish I could, as you said, bottle up the good parts too. In those moments I try to always take a moment and thank God. In those moments, it’s very easy to do so. What is harder, but I still try to do, is to thank God in the dark moments. Those are the moments where we need Him most and need to remember he is beside us. That is when I am most thankful to have Him beside me, and to know that no matter my faults or short comings, He loves me.
Other than that my lovelies, I guess really my main point in this post is just to celebrate fall. Saturday, September 22nd, was the official first day of fall. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for everything that goes with it! Carving pumpkins, dressing up for Halloween, wearing a light jacket (yes that is cause for celebration in Phoenix, Arizona), watching football games with my dad, Thanksgiving dinner! Oh the ham and potatoes and rolls! It makes me salivate just thinking about it!
Anyway, that’s it my dear readers, whoever’s out there. I only know who a few of you are, hi Mom, so don’t be afraid to comment. I just wanted to say that I’m ready for fall and a change. I do sense a change in the air. Something new is coming around the bend. I am ready as I can be, and excited for it. Let’s see what the future brings. I have a feeling it is good!
I leave you, yet again, with a song. This song is speaking to me lately, more than it ever has. "...but people, I guess, can't live like that. We all must pay a price. To be safe we lose our chance of ever knowing what's around the riverbend." I don't want to be safe right now. I want to see "what's around the riverbend."