Autumn Reverie

Oh, Fall!  I miss you.

I know, it actually is fall here in Orange County.  The weather is even trying to cooperate, with cooler, overcast days and some rainfall thrown in for good measure, but it's just a fake California version of what fall should really be.  It's missing all the bells and whistles - that certain 'something'.  I must admit, even though I love living in southern California, every year, right around this time, I get nostalgic and think back on those beautiful fall days we enjoyed when we lived in Canada.

I guess it's a bit harder this year because Steve got a chance to go back and visit and he was bragging on the phone about how beautiful it is - how perfect the weather is, how spectacular the leaves are, how crisp the air is - yaddah, yaddah, yaddah!  Sure Steve, rub it in.

That, and the fact that he's spending time with my his family, who I am dying to see.  I promise you, I'm happy for him, really....no, really!

Anyway, back to fall.  I think, next to summer it's my favorite season.  It may even be tied for first place.  If we could just have fall, then summer, then fall, then summer, that would be perfect!

Winter - forget it!  You can have the snow, the cold, the slush, the gray.  I've lived most of my life without white Christmases and I don't dream about them.  I know, there are some hardy souls who genuinely love winter, but most of you who live in colder climes will agree, after one snowfall (two at most), that white stuff loses its charm.

Spring - we get flowers year-round - lots of flowers.  They are beautiful and I love them, but I think you have to survive the muck and slush of winter to really appreciate spring.

Summer - we invented that in California.  I love it and we get plenty of it.

Fall - sigh!  This is what I think back on when I start reminiscing.

This is my firstborn with her dog Fred.  She is now an adult woman, engaged to be married, but when she was a little girl, we lived in Canada.  Back then we only had one child - she was it.

We lived in the city but Steve's parents had a beautiful home on a large piece of property out in the country (that first picture is the lane leading up to their house).  We loved going out there on weekends, especially in the fall.  I would cut big branches of fall leaves and bring them back to the city to decorate our downtown apartment.

First, there are the autumn smells - the acrid smokey scent of fires burning in fireplaces, the musky earthy smell as the leaves pile up on the ground, not to mention the cinnamon aroma of apple pie baking in the oven.  There's that feeling in the air, that snap of cold that makes you pull your jacket closer and reach into the back of your closet for your favorite pair of boots.

Then, there are the sounds - the satisfying crunch of leaves under your feet as you stroll through the fallen leaves,  the swish of the rake as you gather them into a pile, and the squeal of laughter as the kids leap into the mounded piles of leaves.

But, most of all, it is the sights - the glorious sight of those leaves on the trees- crimson, orange, scarlet and yellow - a truly magnificent display.  It is awe-inspiring and breath-taking and I miss it!

Our ladies group is doing a wonderful study on the names of God called "Knowing God By Name" by Mary A. Kassian.  This past week, one of the names of God that we discussed was Yahweh Borey - Lord Creator.  We talked about the fact that God created this incredible world for his pleasure and for ours.  So often we take for granted the beauty and the majesty of the world around us.  It's just there, the sky, the trees, the ocean, the mountains.

We were challenged to really take time to pause and look around, to develop that sense of awe and wonder.  That a God so powerful would take the time to create so much beauty for us to enjoy, is an incredible thought.  That is how much he loves us.  I don't know about you, but I am determined to appreciate his gifts more, and if you are blessed with those spectacular fall leaves, send pictures!

"I don't think the way you think.
   The way you work isn't the way I work.
         God's Decree.
For as the sky soars high above earth,
   so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
   and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
   and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
   producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
   not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
   they'll complete the assignment I gave them.
So you'll go out in joy,
   you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
   bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
   exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
   no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
   living and lasting evidence of God." 
 ^{Isaiah 55:8-11 (MSG)}