Fallstalgia

Autumn is, beyond a doubt, my favorite time of year. Granted, here in Georgia it isn't all that it could be, in that it usually lasts about a minute and a half. However, once the weather turns cool, I become a new person. The crispness of the air, changing angles of the sunlight as it casts shadows through the trees, beginnings of orange and yellow in the leaves, cool breeze rustling those leaves across the yard..... I absolutely love it, and if there were a way to make this last - or to bottle it, perhaps, for enjoyment year-round - I would be the first to want to know how. As it stands now, though, it is here for a time and then moves on, as most things do; it seems that God wants to make sure we continue to appreciate the beauty of His creation, and knowing us as He does He doesn't leave anything around long enough for us to get complacent and ungrateful.

When this time of year rolls around again, I am filled with so many fond memories and recollections that it's hard to keep them all in.....so I'm going to share some of them with you.

Back To School - School here always started in August (and still does), but fall's coolness brings back memories of those first few weeks of school when the clothes were still new, the notebooks were still fresh and plasticky smelling, and the year was still a mystery to be discovered. I especially remember many, many mornings waiting for the school bus...in elementary school, playing freeze tag with the neighbors until one of us hollered that the bus was coming from around the corner; in middle school, watching the older kids and thinking how put-together they seemed; in high school, chatting with others at the corner about future plans and current problems.

Rowing On The River - In high school, I joined the rowing team and spent many, many cool afternoons and cold mornings in a tiny little boat in the middle of the river in tiny little shorts and tank tops. I fell in love with crew instantly and we still have a lingering affection for one another. Fall always tries to rekindle the romance between this sport (which, admittedly, is sometimes cruel) and myself. It never works, though, since crew requires both a team and a boat...and I have neither. (Crew is a demanding lover.)

Off To College - Naturally, it was fall when I first left home and headed off to college. This was a time of serious struggle for me, but the beauty of the campus in which I found myself wrapped around me like a warm blanket and somehow made me feel at home. Fall accentuated this beauty, and any time I see a maple tree clothed in brilliant colors I remember this time of my life and realize how far God has brought me since then.

Walk To Emmaus - This is a spiritual retreat in the Methodist Church which, because of the blessings of the weekend, I am not allowed to talk much about. However, I went on this Walk in October of 2004 and experienced so much love....so much grace....so much of God's power.

Scott - We started dating in October (well, November, if you ask me......but that's another story), and I always think about that fall with extreme fondness. My completely passive approach to pursuing him....his cluelessness....our friends' persistence....and the eventual connection that was made. I remember lots of walks that fall and winter, and lots of excitement as I realized that this man - this wonderful man - was every bit of what I had hoped for...and more. Today, fall signifies both that first fall together and the fall that followed, as we were then newlyweds and exploring all that married life had for us.

And, next year, fall will mean....

Pregnancy - Anticipation. Excitement. Uncertainty.

Thank you, Lord, for Your faithfulness and Your blessings.