Journey Mercies . . . Memories of Fall
Journey Mercies . . . Memories of Fall
There’s a change coming, a really comfortable change. I love the fall and when I was a kid fall meant the start of school and seeing my friends again. Halloween was coming and so was my birthday. It meant Thanksgiving. It meant that it was almost time for Christmas!
Now that I am older, I can reflect much more deeply about how much I love this time of year. The days are shorter and the air is crisp. Trees that were a common green are now vibrant with color. Beneath my feet is the crackling sound of dry sycamore leaves. Messy as they are, they always reminded me that fall was here. There are smells in the air that weren’t there before. Where barbequed burgers and steaks pierced the afternoon breeze, now pots of homemade Italian Wedding Soup and fresh baked Rosemary Bread waif through the house. Can’t you just smell it?
Fall means having my family around me. I love that more than anything. And gathering at Thanksgiving is much more purposeful than ever before. I realize more and more that being truly thankful is more than saying a prayer at the feast. It’s about being thankful for each day and making the most of the time you have with those you love. It’s about the giving and receiving of Grace. In other words, from a sermon I heard long ago, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is unmerited favor. We can be thankful for it and we can be the bearer of it. We accept grace freely, but we also need to be more mindful of showing it too!
Fall is slower, easier. It means lots of fleece and warm scarves around my neck. It’s hot chocolate or Pumpkin Spice Starbucks, a great movie like Little Women or Pride and Prejudice, and a big comfy blanket to curl up with. It’s watching It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with my grandkids like I did with my own kids when they were small. It’s helping them carve pumpkins and roast Pumpkin Seeds.
And then there’s the best of sports! The “Boys of Summer” in the playoffs, and the World Series. College and professional football have taken over and will permeate our lives from now until the end of winter. There will be wagers made with friends, sons and dads on whose team will make it to Super Bowl. It’s already started here at work, and it’s brutal! And if you live near a high school there will be Friday Night Lights, where you’ll hear the rumble and the screams of a game well played. There’s nothing better than going to a high school football game, bundled up for fun!
Just like anytime of the year, this season brings back memories of family that I miss so much. My dad and mom both died in the fall. The holidays I cherished so much were not as sweet and fulfilling those years. Even though part of my life was emptied of their presence, in my heart I cherish the memories and photos that are sweet reminders of the times when we were all together. I reminisce on both the day of their birth and the day they died. It reminds me how important our relationships are and how we should never forget to say those heartfelt words to those we love and treasure. Do it today – don’t wait another minute!
Fall also brings Daylight Savings Time. This year we “fall back” on November 4th. Who decides this kind of stuff? Looks like this change came from the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Pretty soon we’ll be waking up in the middle of the night and it will be 8:00 am! We also have coming up the Presidential Election. This year it “falls” on my birthday.
Here’s some things my family loves to do:
• It’s apple-picking time! If you’ve never been to Oak Glen Apple Orchards near Yucaipa, where you can pick your own apples, you don’t know what you’re missing. Spend a day there with your family and you’ll experience fall at it’s best! They have a pumpkin patch, too!
• And there’s nearby Tanaka Farms in Irvine, where you and your kids or grandkids can take a cart ride out to the vast 30-acre field where you can pick pumpkins or vegetables till your hearts content. They have a corn maze and an area where you can take your fall photos surrounded by hay bales and pumpkins. It’s open from September 28 to October 31st. The cost is very reasonable so check out their website. Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch
• Finally, when my kids were younger, our street was lined with huge sycamores, and I mean 30 feet or more. On a blustery fall day when the wind would whip through the trees tossing dried leaves everywhere, they would run after them and try to catch them before they fell to the ground. If you’ve never played “leaf catch”, it’s a whole lot harder than you think. Try it!
So, fall can be many things to many people. But mostly, fall is all about change. It’s all about transformation and the shedding of the old to wait patiently for the absolute beauty of the new.
I’d love to hear what you like most about fall and what you like to do!
57 Comments
Having grown up in Southern California, I didn’t really understand the full beauty of the Fall season of the year until I went away to college in Utah and got to see first hand the miracle of changing seasons. I had been to Utah to visit Grandparents each year of my life up until then, but that was always in the summertime when everything pretty much looked like my home in California (except for those incredible Rocky Mountains).
I immediately fell in love with the Fall season for all the reasons you described and more. The majestic mountains were bathed in so many beautiful colors I could hardly believe my eyes. I finally understood what “crispness in the air” truly meant. I just loved driving along the city streets or through the beautiful canyon passes and seeing the miraculous changes that occurred daily in the beauties of nature. It warmed my heart and helped me understand that even though things stay the same they can also change – just like me.
Thank you for taking me on your “Fall Journey”. It brought back similar memories for me, but also evoked many personal and delightful ones in my own mind. Even as I write this, I can feel the wonderful Fall air coming in my window. What a welcome relief after such blisteringly hot summer days we have experienced lately. I think it will allow me to appreciate the cooler Fall air even more this year.
Thank you for taking the time to share such wonderful, heartfelt thoughts with all of us and helping us reflect on what this colorful season means to each of us.
Sincerely,
Sharon
Sharon . .
Your description of the mountain in Utah . . well, it makes me what to go see . . . in the Fall of course! The only place I have been where I really could enjoy the fall colors was at Convict Lake near Mammoth. I’ve gone in late October and early November when all the aspens were changing. But I can’t imagine seeing the great Rocky Mountains. Guess that’s a trip I need to plan. I think, deep in our hearts, we all love the fall. Even if you’re a summer person, our minds and bodies need the rest. At least until Christmas!
Thank you so much for sharing . . you are a joy to be with!
Pat
Pat,
Fall and Winter are my favorite times of year. With the changing of the trees, the weather and even people’s mood.
I believe that this time of year makes people happy. They know that it is a time for family and friends to gather and be thankful for one another and also celebrate the birth of our Savior. I enjoy it because I am setting traditions and making memories for my daughters.
Amy
Hi Amy . . thanks so much for your comments.
I agree wholeheartedly with you about mood changes. I know for some who are summer people, the fall isn’t as fun as being at the beach surfing. But for most, fall is the time for memory making. I know how much you enjoy being with your girls and I also know that making memories is a priority for you!
Thank you for sharing that with me!
Pat
This blog is so dear to my heart – everything that is my favorite. You make me feel warm, relaxed, as though I’m in an arm chair by a fire with a blanket & book.
I love your traditions & outings, I’d love to visit Apple Valley this year although I may have to content myself with photos & day dreams. I can however & shall make it a goal this fall to catch a falling leaf & participate in your game of “leaf catch”!
Thank you for opening your heart and your home up to us in this charming post, I enjoyed every second of it.
Love you!
Molly
When I look at you I see Fall. You even wear scarves in the summer . . . I love that! And your Pumpkin Spice coffee. I remember the photo you posted on FB last year when you’re mom left you that pumpkin on the front porch that said . . Molly, please take me home!. You are a joy to me . . like one of my own. I am so honored to have you as my Blog Coach. You have really helped me to put to pen so many thoughts that I have had, wanted to write about but never did. I believe that this is one way to capture many of my thoughts for my kids and grandkids. My legacy living itself out on our Blog page. Thank you!!!
Lovingly,
Aunt Pat
Pat,
Your words and thoughts indeed bring to mind the feelings and aromas of Fall. Yes, there are many good things about Fall…
I’m one of those “sun” guys, though, that looks to keep summer going as long as possible. Going to the pool/spa late Sunday afternoons for a brief respite is one of my simple pleasures. Fall means lamenting that I didn’t push myself to go to the beach more often, that I still have some time to enjoy the BBQ…but…then chili time is coming.
I’m always amazed, even if the weather is still hot, that indeed, there is a different feeling in the air. Then I shift gears and look forward to hikes in the local mountains with weather that is cooler and more accommodating.
AND…then…my “Martha Stewart” wannabee neighbor pulls out the pumpkins, pumpkin flags, pumpkin, orange and black “decor” and I am sunk. Fall is here…in ten more minutes it will be Thanksgiving.
As a homage to the people who were kind to my kids, I still put up some Halloween decorations (but up later and down that nite earlier) and open our doors and smiles to any kid who wants to come by. I want them to feel special that nite the same way that other folks took delight in my kids. My wife gets irritated when I bend down and ask them about their costumes. But I take pleasure in letting them see my interest in them….and then I miss the times when I took my own OVERLY excited kids around the neighborhood. Being a dad doesn’t get much better than that.
May the next 4 seasons of the year, each one, bring you something special and warm.
Greg
Greg
Even though you are not a “Fall Pumpkin Orange” person, I love the fact that you take time to indulge all the little kids that come to your door. Getting down on their level and asking questions about their costumes is the best way to make a child feel important. By default, you are showing yourself as a TRUE Autumn kind of guy. But don’t worry . . . you know that as we get older time passes extremely fast, before you know it it will be summer again and off to the beach you will go! Thanks so much for sharing you memories of Fall.
Pat
Pat….Thank you for sharing your thoughts about fall….I too love this time of year….I call it “sweater weather”…..Your words caused me to stop and give thanks for all of God’s blessings in my life…thanks….Mark
Mark
I so happy that you had a moment to pause and give thanks. It’s so important for us to be grateful for all of God’s blessings and His Grace. You are a very special person, and one who will see the blessings of your faith by the patience you show. Fall gives us the opportunity to slow down and take time to pause. It’s good for our soul!
Blessings to you!
Pat