Here we are at the end of another season. Summer is giving way to fall and as I sit here I realize that changing seasons is something that I excitedly anticipate and also woefully dread.

The warm summer evenings, tending to the flowers, cookouts, road trips… Summer I will miss you

But…

I love the fall.

The crisp air, the beauty of the changing leaves, hay rides, apple picking, warm cozy sweaters and bonfires. All of it is just so comforting to me. It is really hard to put into words- it is a feeling.

It is harvest time. A time when farmers bring in the crops that they have worked so hard on all summer and finally see the rewards of their work. A time of plenty if you will. It is a sense of accomplishment and security. A pat on the back for a job well done.

The leaves are so colorful in all of their glory. Red, yellow and orange splashes of color crown the trees in majesty.

So beautiful it is hard for us to take it all in.

To soak it in, to absorb such wonderment into our memories before it is gone so quickly… and it is as if it was never there.

Fleeting beauty.

Not meant to last forever.

Just a season of time.

It brings me such joy and contentment…

but then I realize that it is passing quicker than I would like and I fear that it will soon be gone.

It is a season.

A period of time that brings change. An end and a beginning.

Summer is over and I dread the cold winds of Winter that will be here all to soon.

Change.

There is that word again. Change.

Change-that is what I am to be embracing as I go through this “season” of my life. I tell myself that I will make the best of the adventures that change will bring and look forward to what tomorrow brings… but I also fear what tomorrow will take away.

Did I soak in the beauty of this season of my life while I had the chance? The crazy chaos that fills my day? Do I appreciate all of the blessings that I have? Do I show that I am thankful for them? Tomorrow/the next season is coming and I fear that I am running out of time to do so.

Our seasons of life change and before we realize it-

they are already changing.

Our kids are growing up too fast. Did I enjoy every possible second of their childhood?

Parents and other family members are growing older. How did that happen? Was I too busy growing up that I didn’t realize that they were growing older?

Do my family and friends know how much they mean to me? Did I take the opportunity to tell them?…while I still can…

Seasons of change.

Embrace the change?

I need to embrace my “season” before the change.

And moving forward I will.