Falling Leaves
Looking out my kitchen window this morning, I noticed falling leaves. I instinctively smile. I love the fall. Okay, people I know it is still 90 degrees and humid as the tropics outside, but fall is coming. Texas is not known for its distinguishable seasons, yet I enjoy the few weeks of fall we are given. It may seem odd, but out of all the seasons, fall is my favorite. What is it about this short season that makes me smile?
The most obvious is all the wonderful sporting events! Playoffs for baseball. Football is just two or three games into the season and everyone is still hopeful for their team. (I know Cowboy fans; this year isn’t offering much to hope for!) Pre-season hockey, bring on the blood! (Man, I love hockey!) Basketball is coming too! After a long summer of a sport’s drought, fall brings us some much needed rain!
Then there are the community events: The State Fair of Texas (haven’t missed a year in 15 years, it’s a family tradition in the Chadwick home), local fall festivals, and of course pee-wee football! I love watching Caleb and the boys he has grown up with playing sports, hit the field! I look forward to wearing my Eagle gear and supporting my boys! But what about the more subtle things?
The way the air smells. Caleb and I walked out of the house last year on the first really crisp day of fall and Caleb said, “Mom, do you smell that? It smells like fall.” I immediately knew exactly what he was talking about. That smell of fireplaces burning (our rule is if it is below 70 outside the fireplace can burn), and the smell of crisp air with a northerly breeze.
Oh, and let’s not forget the foods of fall. Chili beans, chili pie, chili and cornbread, do you get the picture we love chili! All the wonderful soups and homemade desserts. Finally, a desire to cook returns; could it be that you have no fear to turn on your oven because no longer do you worry it will heat the house up more than the 80 degrees it already is, because your air condition unit cannot keep up with the 25 consecutive days of temperatures over 100 degrees!!! (Excuse the brief rant.)
Good things have happened to me in the fall. I met Bryan, my husband, in the fall. I gave birth to my son, Caleb in the fall. Bryan and Caleb are so precious to me. I really do consider them gifts from God, given to me to make up for all the really crappy things in life before them. Some may know my story, some may not. Another day. But, trust me when I say they are a blessing!
So to wrap things up, I will leave you with this thought: Often, people think of spring as the season of newness and that offers hope. Yet, consider the falling leaves of the trees. In the fall the trees begin to shed the leaves from the seasons before. The trees stand naked, free of the past season ready to dawn what’s to come in the future. Maybe, that is how I feel in the fall. I get to shed past failures, missed opportunities, unmet expectations, and look forward to a new set of hope and dreams. Or, maybe it is much simpler than that; I just like to watch falling leaves….
