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
Hi Pat,
I read your blog last night… what a lovely post! I love Autumn and I now know you do too. I felt like we could have been related with all the similarities you wrote about (blankets, sweaters, cooking, leaves, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, etc.)
Good writing allows the reader to really feel what the writer is saying, and be able to identify with it. It did just that for me! Thank you for a delicious read.
Danielle
P.S. My sister and I used to celebrate the Fall by bundling up and spending a whole day raking huge piles of leaves and then have “leaf pile jumping” contests
Danielle . .
I knew when I met you that you were special. Not only for the great work that you do, but because you were kind and open to meeting new people. You are special. It brought me joy to know that I had connected with you. And, my two smallest grandchildren are now experiencing what you have your sister did with abandon, jumping in the leaves of their large Japanese Maple. It’s so much fun to watch!
Thank you for sharing your special fall memories. I just love hearing these stories!
Pat
Dear Pat,
What a beautiful blog post. Just reading it, I could feel the snap of the brisk fall air, smell the cinnamon sprinkled on pumpkin cookies, and taste that piping hot cup of hot chocolate. Your descriptions are alive with detail and description and makes me happy to be a fall baby, too. There’s something about this time of year that makes me want to slow down, express gratitude, and be mindful of the beauty in small moments. Thank you for the seasonal images and for sharing some of your favorite local harvest-time outings. Wishing you a wonderful autumn.
Best,
Marnee
Hello friend:
We made a wonderful connection yesterday – not only do we share a November birthday, but I can see us being forever friends. Autumn does cause us to pause. What a wonderful word . . pause. Just the sound of it makes you want to slow way down. Enjoy the season, Marnee, and thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
With Autumn Blessings!
Pat
Pat,
I like Fall, but I don’t like the fact that it drops me off in Winter. I guess I am a Spring person. I like the longer days and the promise of summer sailing. I do enjoy the change that comes with fall, the different light and the holiday season marked by the traditions we celebrate. But my heart lies with Spring and Summer. I don’t remember if it was a conversation you and I had or with someone else who said that we often prefer the season in which we were born. Probably a generalization that would not hold up but an interesting idea.
What I loved about your blog was the linking of sights, sounds, and aromas that can open the flood gates of memory. Most of all, the window into the life, mind and heart you share about this fondness for a season. It causes me to reflect on those elements of Fall that I do enjoy. Now I can enjoy it thinking of what it means to you.
Hugs to you,
Jeff
Jeffry . . . my dear, sweet friend
We have visited many Falls together. Mostly in the “Spring” of our lives. Fall begins to remind me that I am traveling into that time of my life and remembering is one of the most important things I have. I remember so vividly when we were carpooling and you were building your boat. What an experience that was for me to see it begin as a shell and with your hands, watch it evolve into this amazing work of art. I was amazed at your ability to create from wood and all of that stinky stuff, a boat! You truly are a summer kind of guy. On the water is where you should be. As much as I love knowing your thoughts of summer, my heart and soul loves the warmth of a fire, a blanket, a hot cup of peppermint mocha coffee and my sweet family near by. I think people are closer in the fall and winter months. We rely on each other for warmth of touch that I don’t think happens nearly as much in summer. Just my thoughts.
Thank you for experiencing my memories of fall. Maybe someday, you be the fall guy!
Lovingly,
Pat
Loved your fall memories, Patty O. Just returned from VA and just by looking at the trees, one can detect the season. Beauty from the trees to the air filled my senses. Of course spending time with my daughter and my beautiful grandchildren, along with my son-in-law added to my enjoyment.
I’m not one to spend time in the kitchen, but I do love the wonderful scents that pour forth when my daughter bakes her blueberry scones and apple slices.
Recalling childhood memories and remembering those who are no longer here always brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful thoughts, Patty.
Love,
Mary Dedic
Hello my dear friend . . .
Thank you for sharing your joys of fall and being with your family. You and I are so very much alike when it comes to spending time with our kids and grandkids. They really do bring out the very best of all the seasons, don’t they. I hope someday to travel to the east coast and see what you have described. Someday . . ..
I love you dearly, and thank you so much for posting.
Patty O