Below is a little music you may like to listen to while reading this post
It reminds me that I should "Say Hello" to Fall, and those memories that arrive along with it...*
Both joyful and sad memories are ushered in with the blink of an eye. I feel all the memories of loss and the tears that follow them. Without warning they come with a swiftness, and so does the frost. I awoke this morning to a chill in the air and a crispness surrounding my head. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and took a long sip from my warm, fall themed mug. Peering out the back door with a bitter sweet feeling of anticipation, I had a good idea of what I had awoken to...
And I was ready for it. It had been a long week of change, new and stressful experiences, zoom calls, spreadsheets and meetings, meal planning, errand running, and routine cleaning, all blurring together. On Sunday, the residual thoughts of these pressures, although still present, settle toward the back of my mind. The hot coffee is steaming toward my nostrils and warming my soul with every sip. After seeing bits of the seasons first frost touching the new autumn day, I was in need of its comfort.
However, it's not just about the coffee, but rather the feeling that one thing is over and another is just beginning. Life continuing on without hesitation and not looking back. Around every turn I am reminded that change is inevitable and unstoppable. Bitter sweet indeed.
As I take my morning walk around the house, there seems to be lingering signs of summer around every corner. She's not willing to let go, but her grasp is growing weaker with the dawn of every new day. The touches of red that boldly stand forward from the bluish-grey shadows they cast, are what catch my eye and turn my head. If one listens carefully, summers fading voice can be heard whispering to our building emotions...
"Do not feel sadness, for my colors and warmth will return one day. For now I will gift you one last reminder of the beautiful times we shared."
And she is felt.. Beneath my feet, I feel the light crunching of frozen dew at the tips of the long blades of grass. My cheeks are slightly blushed with the chill of crisp fall air. Wafts of burning wood float past my nose, as neighbors light their fireplaces to chase the morning cold from their homes. I see autumn spread along the ground in a blanket of white.
The first frost.. she's here now and I am aware.
Hints that fall has rolled in are everywhere.. A touch of color in the foreground to a sparkling waters edge. At first the diamond like flashes of light catch my eye, then I notice the early signs of change already taking place. Some smaller trees near the edge of the lake, are already turning shades of rich orange and rusty red. A prelude of what's to come.
And the lake to my back, I take it a little slower as I stroll back to the house. Again, I think of our little Pepper boy and how he would have been following close behind. He loved chasing the fallen leaves as they were tossed along the ground, between the light autumn breezes. It's the likes of those that bring tears to my eyes. But it is also those same memories that carry me safely from season to season. I will never forget those who we have lost, while in turn, I will never forget to cherish the memories we so carefully made this summer. After all, it's all we have to hold on to as time marches forward to bring more change.
“But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.”
― Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot
A place for people who Love Orchids!
