Fabulous Fall!

Oh my goodness, how we miss fall, living in Florida!

Don't get me wrong, Florida has its seasons too:

• There's love bug season - the three weeks during which small black bugs fly around in massive swarms causing serious nastiness by splattering themselves on car windshields and grills. This actually occurs twice annually; oh joy!
  
• Then we have a rainy season. Nearly every afternoon at 4:00 you know to reach for your umbrella. (Only to remember that you left it where you were yesterday at four o'clock!)
• We have a hot season of course. And once that subsides, there is a hotter season!
• And don't forget the all important tourist season! We're told that for every 85 tourists who visit FL, one job is created. So, to all our tourist friends I'd like to say, "Come on down!" Smile.

Yes, we have seasons; they just aren't exactly like the ones we enjoyed while living in North Carolina. And this morning I'm very thankful that it's a little cooler because this is the time of year that Frank seems to miss his home state the most.

When you spend the first eighteen years of your life experiencing crisp, cool air in October and all the fun activities that accompany fall, I guess your biological adjusters are adjusted to accept such as acceptable and anything else feels......well, unacceptable! (Did you understand all that highly technical, scientific jargon?! Smile.)

We've always had special places where we love taking walks; no matter where we've lived. And while in the mountains, that place was a short trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you've ever been privileged to travel the Parkway, you know how beautiful it is. Fall had to be our favorite time for being outdoors.

All the reds, golds, yellows looked like a patchwork quilt blanketing the mountainsides. And invariably someone would be burning leaves. We'd snuggle into the warmth of our jackets. We would savor the bright red of our little girls' cheeks and rub their tiny, cold fingers against our own faces.

Fall signaled the time for hot apple cider with Mullins seasoning, chili, and vegetable beef soup. Wardrobe switches - which took an entire weekend when the girls were little; involving hired help! Hay rides, trips through the corn maze and always a visit to Bellamy farms for "Heritage Weekend".

Joy brought back leaves for us when she and John visited family in New York a few weeks ago. My favorite leaves are still the red maples. (We've planted a FL red maple in our yard but it isn't quite the same. Sigh.)

I suppose that all this fall musing must surely bring me back to a scripture I've pondered a lot through the years: "Godliness with contentment brings great gain."

No sense being unhappy about not getting to experience fall firsthand this year. Life is full of "seasons" too and each one must be embraced by choice.

Yep, I miss NC fall weather - no two ways around it! But contentment is my choice today. (And this little "cold snap" certainly does help.)

If you happen to be a reader who is blessed to be smack in the middle of fabulous fall weather this weekend, take a moment to step outside and enjoy some for Frank and me. Thanks!

We'll be sure to return the favor in January. Smile.