It’s coming…if you listen very quietly you can begin to hear it.  In just a little over twenty-four hours it will be here.  Fall is in the air.  This is the season I wait anxiously all year for.  It is where I define the beginning of the year.

All of the signs become apparent.  The harvest moon hints at what is to come; the gentle rush of the breeze that washes over you and causes the trees to sway just a little, and to me, the fait accompli is seeing the kids running for the bus (albeit not so quickly due to overflowing backpacks that weigh them down) and off to school for the day.  To me every fall seems to be the start of the year whenever I hear and see these things.  But I know more is coming and I get a little giddy thinking about it.  The sights, the sounds and the smells of fall; it is all wonderfully entertaining.

Nature, as if on cue, willingly makes her statement that the season has begun and declares we are in for a show.  I look forward every year to this show. I like to call this the changing of the leaves.  Spring has her glory and gives us the beginning of life.  It shows us nature’s beauty from the first bud until the tree reaches full bloom.  Fall, however, shows us the later stages of that beauty and focuses on the fading of that bloom before the leaves must give way and fall silently to its resting place on the ground.  What an intoxicating sight it is!  Varying colors of the leaves cause me to catch my breath in wonder.  I take in the beauty and for me this is a great time to sit outside and just reflect on where I am in general at this point of my life.  I take stock of things and I plan where to go next while I spend time gazing at the scenery and reflecting on my thoughts.  Add a pumpkin spice latte and I am truly content.

It can be a chore as well.  Once these leaves fall we need to rake the lawn and bag the leaves as garbage to be tossed away (our final goodbye).  Back when I was young we would gather the leaves into a pile and then jump in the pile.  It just seemed to add to the season.  However, our parents brought us back to reality and had us rake the lawn and bag the leaves.  I am filled with a sense of sadness remembering these times.  I do not know if it is a longing to go back and be a kid again or sadness at the ending of a happy time in my life.  Either way it created a treasured memory in my mind.

Now that the season has begun, it seems infectious to everyone and everywhere you look you see the signs of fall.  I go to the local store and there are multiple displays.  One is of various squash, pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn.  Another has a mouth-watering display of caramels, taffy apples, candy corn and cookies.  Next, as I continue to shop, I happen to pass the aisle with the Halloween costumes.  Sure there are the old standbys (the witch for example), but you know more festivities are coming and you can’t help getting caught up in all of this.  Halloween is coming fast and before you know it your house will be overflowing with youngsters shouting “trick or treat”.  They hold out their bags and with widened eyes they look at the goodies they are accumulating.

The farmers add to the tapestry of this season as well.  Weekends are spent running from market place to market place in search of good deals.  The farmers proudly display their goods; hoping for sales to help them get through the winter.  They decorate their yards with scarecrows and pumpkins, and some even have added games to the setting; such as a maze.  In the air you have the smells that add to the season; whether it is hot chocolate or apple cider to rice krispie treats or roasted pumpkins seeds.   It is an experience that seems to take up the whole day so customers can have the full experience.  I look forward to going to those final farmer’s markets, make those purchases, enjoy the foods, and have a good time.  I round it off at night with a hayride and gaze at the starry hosts that shine brightly overhead.  I breathe in the fresh air and partake of this beauty for it is fleeting.

It prepares me for what will lie ahead.  I know after this season that the next season though equally beautiful, will be one that tends to keep me inside snuggled in a blanket and looking for warmth to survive.  It is still three months away, but fall prepares me for it.  I get back to the life of layers once again.  In the fall I start off with a light top and pants and by nightfall I add another layer of clothes to keep me warm.  It is not yet cold as in freezing, but cooler nonetheless.  Daylight is starting to run short, as night seems to come quicker

One of the final signs of fall is football.  Whether played with a group of friends in someone’s yard or watching your favorite team on television.  There is something to be said about a gathering of people united together to cheer on their favorite team and watch this game.  Not to mention the food we prepare for ourselves and others during this season.  We bring out the crock pots and make wonderfully aromatic soups, chili, stews, a variety of bread and appetizers.  We eat heartily again and enjoy the harvest of this season.  It is a quiet (or in some households not too quiet) celebration.

So what am I trying to say here?  Just take it all in and enjoy each season as it is presented to us.  Revel in the beauty and the charm it displays.  Start over or just go back in time and remember how it used to make you feel.  Each season is a gift.  It is short, but packed with a lot of things to see and do.  It is a blessing to receive.  I am wishing all a very Happy Fall.